Angry Rant #12: Is this an Ad or is it News?

Nine News reported on a story this afternoon, and then again on the 6pm news, detailing the final result of the TV show, The Block and I have a few questions:

1. Who the hell cares?
2. Advertising makes news?
3. Does anyone actually like Australian TV?

How can a TV network like Channel Nine get away with this kind of news story? I, like most people, do not care about some stupid, worthless "reality" TV show or how it's idiotic contestants are feeling. I don't care about how much money they've won, or what they're going to spend it on. I don't care about the problems they face when they try to restore some house - It means nothing to everyone. Is there NOTHING else going on in the world besides that one pointless TV show?

Nope. It doesn't look like it. 

Then when a show like Media Watch does a story on why that particular news story is just shamelessly plugging their own garbage, the word from the Channel Nine camp sounds something like, "Do the "journalists" at Media Watch have anything better to do?" 

Wait...so there are Journalists at Channel 9? Journalists? Channel 9? Now there's two words that should never go together. Take, for example, earlier in the year when there were floods in northern Victoria. All the reporters on the scene were getting knee deep in the water except one - Laura Turner. In short, Laura is accused of being on her knees to make the flood waters look worse.

Decide for yourself

The most striking point here is how the SES urged people not to go into the flood waters because it was dangerous. I'd discuss the problems with Channel 7 and their "news" but I would go on for a while, so I won't yet, but I digress...

Back on topic, don't just think that Channel 9 turns advertising into news, because both Channels Ten and Seven have done the same thing. It's the reason why I don't watch TV for news anymore - it's all about making money and making us buy things we don't need, or in case make us watch stupid shows about stupid people. 

Problem: There are too many news programs, and for them to fill news slots up, things must either be made out to be worse than there are (i.e the floods), dragged out so that the news day is easier to manage (i.e Jessica Watson and her yacht) or they are filled with nonsensical fluff stories like that wedding between Kate and William. 

Also, Peter Overton needs to be kicked. Nothing is worse than an up-himself news anchor. 

I'd fire him.

Don't believe the Lies and Spin. 

Angry Rant #11: More deaths... more to come?

WWIII.

Seems a fair bit scary when you think about. Would our "World Powers" and their "World Leaders" abide by sanctions declared by the United Nations in regards to nuclear war if things got more than just heated?

Looks like little Kimy in North Korea isn't playing by the rules - no, there hasn't been any nuclear attacks, but WW1 started with the assassination of a single man - Two South Korean Marines and two civilians died when North Korea sent 50 shells flying over the border to Yeonpyeong, dozens have been injured and that little island is looking a little worse for wear. Accident or not, this assertion of power is not needed, nor is it needed to be demonstrated with such brutality - seems like the sort of thing you'd expect someone to retaliate to. The "You hit me, I'll hit you harder" mentality is seeping through the seams at the moment.

The Trigger?

South Korea has threatened missile strikes if the problem escalates. The US has begun backing up South Korea and China has essentially stated that it supports North Korea (no surprises there). The official word from the North Korean Media, (so Kim Yong Ill himself and his office) is that South Korean ships crossed the border - So why wouldn't they order the ships to leave? Perhaps fire warning shots? Why fire on an island with innocent civillians? Is there something else out of the picture?

Of course there is more than just the one side to this story. Media from both nations is hazy at best and should be read in the same way.

For two countries that are technically still at war, it's a little hard to imagine that there will be peace in the world. We've got rockets firing between the borders there, people dying in the middle-east, the diamond wars in Africa....every time we hear about this kind of thing, we just get angry. How can there be peace if there is so much violence in world?

Heard of the movie Pay it Forward?

Don't Believe the Lies and Spin.

Angry Rant #10: So where's that R-rating for Video Games?

Four Words: The Australian Christian Lobby.


It seems that they're at it again - trying to stop the rest of the population from doing what they want to do. This time, they're still not moving on the R-rating classification for video games. It's not enough for them to have a mostly Christian Government at their every beck and call, but force us to live by the bible - because they think it's it the right thing to do. (Being a good person should be logical and should not come from a book that was written thousands of years ago...and people say we have advanced as a race. Technologically, yes. Morally? Nope. But I digress)

Morality: It should come from here. 

This R-rating issue needs to be put through quickly. Not only is it idiotic, but it forces violent video games into the MA15+ category - something of which I don't agree with. I was trying to avoid using the cliched "look-at-what's-in-Australia-already" line, but it's difficult to avoid. GTAIV should not be in that MA category, along with games like MOH and COD. They should be in the R-rated category - I support this idea entirely.

The thing that pisses me off the most is the naivety of some people, in this case the ACL. They can say that the country will become more obsessed with violence, and that it will make it easier for kids to get their hands on violent videogames - yet I know kids under the age of 14 who play GTAIV. If there was an R-rating, it would make it harder for children to get their hands on it. How Modern Warfare 2 got released as an MA15+ title STILL amazes me. Every time I see that infamous Airport level, I think "how could there not be an R-rating?"

Is the ACL happy that this got into a LOWER rating category?

Check out Kotaku for more info on it if you're interested. They currently have an online petition that you can sign up to so that you can directly email your local government rep, or directly to the Minister of Home affairs, Brendan O'connor. Whether it changes things is another thing entirely, but here's hoping!

I don't understand the ACL's point of view, that being if there was a R-rating category, more violent games would reach our shores. Really? More violent then slaughtering hundreds of innocent people in an airport with the MA rating letting kids get to it easier? Yeah, you can tell they're using their...

The solution here is so bloody obviously, you'd think the rating would finally be allowed. Wait. What's that? We're dealing with politicians? Oh, cancel that then.

Don't believe the Lies and Spin.

Angry Rant #9: Penrith and it's Plaza

So, we leave the cinema and make our way towards the exit, only to find that we have to wait in ANOTHER line for the next 20mins....

This is what I found myself thinking after watching the latest installment of a film that has some guy with glasses on in it. Unfortunately those bastards in charge of "The Plaza" expected people to pay $5 for parking after the movie. Even not paying and trying to escape by ghosting another car failed because the timers where so fast.

Boom Gates - they have their ups and downs. 

After the failed attempts to find another pay station, we gave up and headed back to the cinema, meeting a bunch of people who tried and failed as we did - a look of disgust also on their faces.

I very much dislike losing to the establishment and it appears that I am not the only one.

Boycott Penrith Plaza.

Don't believe the Lies and Spin.

Angry Rant #8: Harry Potter and the Mirroring of Reality.

Disclaimer: I have read books 1-4 and about 1/4 of the way through the 5th one ONLY.

I used to be a massive fan of Harry Potter - I'm not going to lie. I read the first four with a level of enjoyment that I hadn't got from any other book. Then I arrived at book 5 - The Order of The Phoenix. I tried to finish it - I struggled to read it. There was something that was present in this book that wasn't in the other ones. The idea didn't hit me until I picked it up today after all the fuss about Deathly Hallows and began the quest to finish it. What I've come to realise is that this may just be the best book of the lot!

The reason it flew over my head when I tried to read it when I was younger was the fact that the book is overladen with political messages and the balance between those that are in control and those who stand up against the establishment.

KaKAAAAAA

Of all the books, so far, this is one that I think closely reflects the society we live in - A society controlled by the rich and powerful - where money and power work their evil ways around the globe. Where the mass media and mass opinion are on sale to the highest bidder and are used to manipulate and distort reality. Read Order of the Phoenix if you haven't yet, it's not as bad as what I remember, and it's better to read with a new mindset. 


Don't believe the Lies and Spin.

Angry Rant #7: Storrry? Where are you? Ok I give up. No really, where the hell are you? What? James Cameron and George Lucas locked you in there?

What changed Star Wars....

George Lucas....

and something else....

hmm...

OHH MOOONEY. Gotcha ;)

After many a year studying the hell out of the original prequels I have come to the realisation that they are aren't bad movies - but I must explain - a bad movie needs to have a bad story, bad characters, bad acting, bad everything really. When I watch Episode 1, 2 and 3, I don't see a terrible story, I see no story. I don't see actors, I see robots. I don't see a script, I see random words thrown together in no particular order. I don't see bad acting, I see a dodgy version of Team America. How can it be a bad movie when it technically isn't a movie. Saying that they're bad movies is giving them way too much credit.

Unfortunately, the stupid rabbit lived through this.

What I have come to appreciate is that films nowadays, especially your big-budget "blockbusters" use CGI and other digital technology to manipulate audiences into thinking that the movie is good, when the only thing that they're doing is covering up the the fact that there is no story. *cough cough* Avatar * cough cough*

Whoops, sorry.

Avatar sucked. Visually, it was like having eye-sex, but in terms of story, it will go down in history as one of the worst story lines ever...obviously after Star Wars: Ep 1 & 2 - nothing beats that filth.

Lucas could have avoided the whole list of problems with the prequels if he had just hired a decent screenwriter to make sense of his nonsense. Things like this would have been avoided:

• Why would Qui-Gon Jinn cheat in a bet to get the parts for the ship in Ep 1? Why not just come back at night and steal it? He can cheat, but stealing is wrong?
• How does the sheild generator get hit on the Naboo ship if the sheild is up?
• Why did Qui-Gon Save Jar-Jar Binks from the federation ships on Naboo? (How I wish he died there)
• Why is Qui-Gon there? Just in general - He doesn't do anything except talk to Anakin about mediclorians and then he dies - An idiotic character like Jar Jar could have done that. 
• Why did Padme's decoy say that she "failed" Padme at the start of Ep 2. Isn't that what a decoy is supposed to do? Risk their lives for the person they're protecting? - I think she took that explosion pretty well. 
• Why did they ruin Yoda?
• Why can't Padme fall in love? How is being a senator an excuse?
• What the hell is a mediclorian? The force is microscopic germs now?
• Why didn't Bobba Fett just kill Padme at the start of Ep 2, instead of hiring someone to plant poisonous worms in her room. We already know that Padme isn't immune to explosions, *hint hint.*
• Why is it...
• blah.
• blah.
• blah.

"Obi-Wan, when I said I didn't like sand I F*&%ing meant it."

I could go on for ages. So I won't.

Don't believe the Lies and Spin.

Angry Rant #6: "Whoops, did that plane need an engine?"

It seems that the great Australian Qantas is failing. Why? Because work has been forced overseas, and outsourced to countries in Asia (By the way, there is no word for 'Asia' in any Asian language because it, in it's entirety, is a Western concept, but I digress.)

Cheap Labour = Shoddy Work. It's really a no brainer, and we really shouldn't be surprised. However most people are because they don't know that the work/repairs/services are done overseas. Why is this aimed at Qantas? I could bet any amount of money that this happens to EVERY airline. Planes are large pieces of metal that fly through the sky at insane speeds and through varying temperatures - of course things are going to fuck up from time to time, that's a given. But why all the attention on Qantas? I have brainstormed some ideas below:

• Someone sleep with the wrong person?
• Didn't get the right sandwich?
• Nuts too salty? 
• James Murdoch got turned down by an attractive air hostess?

Too much salt can drive anyone nuts.

Whatever the problem is, it better come into the light. I had a pretty shocking experience with Virgin Blue and with Jet Star but that went unnoticed. Perhaps the reason is just that - maybe there is a vendetta against Qantas by the Australian Media. Maybe they're trying to bring Qantas back here. Seems reasonable.

But then I remembered.

We had a 15min segment on the 5 o'clock news about Kate Middleton and Prince William. My mistake

Don't believe the Lies and Spin.

Angry Rant #5: Kate Middleton and Prince William...

Who the hell cares about Kate Middleton and Prince William? Any person who says that they "good" because they donate to charity is simply stupid - The Royal family is just that. Royal.

Rich.

Lots of Money. You'd expect that - the people who work their butts off with 3 children, a mortgage and still donate to children in poverty stricken countries, in natural disaster zones, and in war-torn countries are the real heros.

Although Princess Diana did a whole lot for AIDS awareness in Africa, I very doubt the Royals now will do such a thing now.

And to Channel 10 News - 15 mins of "news" on their engagement? 15 worthless minutes on something that most people couldn't give a shit about? This is newsworthy?

Channel 10 is good for one thing...and one thing ONLY. 

How about reporting on the aftermath of Haiti? It seems that they've gone off the map until they get devastated by another earthquake. What about those floods in Pakistan that displaced over 1 million people?

OH Wait. The mass media thinks this isn't important, so it must not be. Oh, ok then.

Don't Believe the Lies and the Spin.

Angry Rant #4: A little bit of everything.

So apparently Aboriginal people aren't recognised in the Federal Constitution in Australia. A friend has told me that the states do recognise Aboriginals, but at a Federal level in the Commonwealth Constitution, they are not.

But the thing that pissed me off was how they said it - Our idiotic PM just brushed it off so lightly as if it were nothing. Then we've got those idiotic US representatives spouting garbage about 'being ourselves and everything's gonna be alright'. THEN we've got people getting interviewed because they were "selected" for Oprah's show. Instead of wasting all that money (and you know she's going to be giving away free stuff) on pointless materialistic goods, she could be helping a place like...I dunno...AFRICA. Why waste time here? Why waste money? Why let the stupid state government piss more money up against the wall when our roads/hospitals/schools are an absolute disgrace. I am really annoyed right now.

Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean....

Don't Believe the Lies and Spin.

Angry Rant #3: To Smartphone or not to Smartphone.

So, a friend of mine has convinced me that the HTC desire is probably one of the best, if not the best smart phone on the market - If I were to ever buy one that is.

The idea of having everything in one handy, portable little device seems like a good idea. Being able to play music, record video, fuck around on the internet etc, seems like fun, until one the following occurs:

1:   You leave it at home.
2:   You leave it somewhere other than home.
3:   You leave it in New Zealand after a holiday.
4:   You play basketball with it.
5:   You think your blender will wuss out.
6:   You leave it under the back tyre of your car.
7:   You play chicken with a sledge hammer.
8:   You decide that it's so powerful that it will defy gravity.
9:   Karma.
10: The battery dies and you can't change it.

Should it be in my pocket or in here?

Apart from all those things, I'd defiantly buy one.

Angry Rant #2: Unforgeeeeetable...Well. Yes actually.

Predictable

Intolerable.

Nonsense?

Somehow I forced myself to watch THAT episode of Packed to the Rafters...for five seconds before I turned it over. It seems that I did the right thing, seeing as though I would have cringed to death at the sight of yet another car accident where someone has died. Mel, one of the characters, gets married then dies in a car accident. If you think you're having a case of de ja vu, you're not the only one. I have lost count of the amount of times these Aussie shows have used car accidents as a way of killing a character off - Neighbours has been doing that shit for years!!

We really shouldn't Rush into things

There is something wrong with the industry in Australia - it's the same thing, day in day out. Nothing changes. Why?

Angry Rant #1: Speeding Kills?

Recently a friend of mine got sent a letter by the RTA stating that they had been caught speeding. Not only did they think that this was a total load of bullshit, but they knew they weren't due to the fact that they was staring at my speedometer as they was driving past the camera. SEE. Therein lies the problem - 

IF EVERYONE IS LOOKING AT THE SPEEDOS, HOW ARE THEY MAKING IT SAFER FOR DRIVERS?

Fact of the matter is that it isn't. People think that we get it tough here in New South Wales, but Victoria is speed camera central of World - of the World. The death toll in Victoria has actually RISEN in the past 5 years compared to the toll here in NSW. Of course population, driving conditions etc etc all come into play, but if everyone is not looking at the road, how safe could it possibly be? The State Government tells you that it's safer - but it's not. 

These newly placed "safety cameras" are nothing but blatant revenue raising for both (yes BOTH) the state governments and the private operators who control them. The private operators will be getting more funding, depending on the number of cars they pinch. In QLD now, the tolerance level is being reduced, so expect a fine in the mail if you're 2 or 3km/h over the limit. 

Don't believe what the government says - they don't care about your well being - they only care about the money that goes into their pocket at the end of day.

Don't believe the Lies and the Spin.