Taking gullibility to a new level

"Journalists" fooled in "poodle" scam

I thought this story about Japanese pet owners being sold a sheep for $1600 AUD and told they were poodles was a little far fetched. My favourite part of the story is the Japanese movie star that was on a talk show and complained that her new pet wouldn't bark or eat dog food.

"She was crestfallen when told it was a sheep."

The story goes on to tell of another couple who "became suspicious when they took their 'dog' to have its claws trimmed and were told it had hooves."

A little more investigation shows the original story comes courtesy of "The Sun" newspaper in the UK, notorious for its sensational stories and minimalist approach to fact checking. It seems that the "news" editor at ninemsn takes a similar approach. Sapporo, in Japan, where the scam purportedly took place has a sheep farm and a hill called sheep hill.

ninemsn did print a semi-correction here (dare i say sheepishly), but surely a simple bit of fact checking (remember fact checking? apparently journalists used to do it) instead of regurgitating some tripe found on Google would have saved them the em-baa-rrassment

Short butts

Stole this link from Stu over at yelpar. Please read it to remind yourself that not all Americans are psycho gun-wielding maniacs. Then read the comments and remind yourself why you should be scared of the ones that are.

Not my best look, I know...

IMG_2943
Originally uploaded by IAmRanx.

.....but really, do I look that old?

At the Blues and Roots Festival late last month I was standing watching Missy Higgins, smoking a cigarette when this young lady (I have no idea, somewhere between 15 and 25 years old, I was a bit drunk)[Edit: "young lady"? I guess I just answered my own question] tapped me on the shoulder and said, politely "Can I have a light please.....Mister?". Poor girl I gave her the light and turned back and said "Did you just call me Mister?".

Oddly enough she moved away not long after that

My Hump

Playing guitar, I always look for different ways to play songs (think "Mad World" from "Donnie Darko"). Alannis Morrisette obviously does the same. This is a cracking cover (parody?) of "My Hump" by the Black Eyed Peas.

Ouch

Whiteside Primary School would be proud of us.

Friday night was a fantastic drinking fest. I had the best time. After the initial awkward question and answer about family...actually, I'm not entirely sure what we spoke about for the rest of the night, but I recall climbing in to bed at around 4 o'clock after watching the Aussies towel up the Kiwis in their last Super 8's match.

But I'm never drinking again.

Reunions

My regular Friday night shed-fest will be interrupted this week. I got an email a few weeks back from an old school mate who'd tracked me down via a school reunion site and, after some shuffling, we have organised a small get together for 4-5 of us at my place tonight. Sadly, neither of my old schools exist any more. I've never really been big in to the whole reunion idea. Maybe that's because nearly half my close friends have been beside me for 20 years or so, there's never been the drive.The year we turned 40, a few of us caught up, I think as an obligatory nod to the mid-life crisis, but that's about it.
I have been viewing tonight with some trepidation. I am never good with awkward social situations, I am absolutely crap at making small talk and have almost completely (deliberately) forgotten most of my teenage years. I thought that I would have Puddin' there as my firewall (he went to school with us as well) but the inconsiderate swine is on his honeymoon until late tonight! This morning, however, I awoke with a sense of anticipation. The focus has changed from worrying about what they will think of me to wondering what they've been doing (for the last 30 years!).


For the record, I am third from the left on the lower row of boys in the black and white photo and top right in the colour photo (Nice Paisley, I know). Peo, who made contact, is second from right in the row below me in the colour photo. Norm is far left, row 2 in the colour photo and 2nd from right, 2nd row in the B&W. Graham far right, 2nd row in the B&W.

Conspiracy Theories

I have to admit it, I am a huge fan of conspiracy theories. The lengths to which some people go to "prove" their theories fascinates me. Of course these are only fun if you accept the theorists accounts on face value.

The Virginia Tech shooting this week, while horrifying, started me wondering when the first conspiracy theories about it would start. It is my guess that there will be a web site blaming the American government in place in under 6 months.

That's just a guess of course. While you're waiting, here's on of the better researched conspiracy sites, written by a bloke who used to live in my home town

A sign of the times

I couldn't help but overhear the conversation in front of me. Two women discussing back pain when one of them asked the other if she had been working too hard. The woman with the sore back replied that it was "from the baby" and was called pelvic something or other. Then woman one asked her, full of concern,

"Have you googled it?"

Not that there's anything wrong with that, Google is my memory's best friend, it just struck me as odd. Not "have you seen somebody about it?" but "Have you googled it?"

2007 and counting

War Movies

Just in case you thought John Wayne and Audie Murphy were in Iraq. Watch and listen to this. Please.

In the minority again

OK, to balance out this morning's "butterflies and unicorns" post, I thought I would once again peek into the David Hick's debacle. I wish I hadn't, I really do. I've seen his guilty plea reported on a number of websites, some of which allow comments from the public. These ones sadden me the most. The number of people who seem to have missed the point entirely scares me.
Comments like these:
"We need to bring back capital and corporal punishment. I don't know how anybody could turn against their own country like this guy. Shame shame shame."

Why will he be coming to Australia, he should be sent back to the country he was fighting for and that was Afghanistan. I'm surprised that there are not more comments from the do-gooders saying he has been coerced into pleading guilty.

He's no longer a terror suspect but a self confessed terrorist and will shortly be a convicted terorist. He's had his day in court which we've all been waiting for, so now it's time see what punishment this sloppy bit of dog s*it has agreed to.

and the worst of all
"Obviously we've had enormous concerns about the allegations that have been brought against David Hicks," he said.

"(But) I'm pleased for everybody's sake ... that this saga has come to a conclusion." Foreign Minister Alexander Downer

Reading back over these comments has convinced me that I have been wrong all along. The people of Australia have EXACTLY the sort of government the majority wants (and for that matter deserves). A Government that abrogates it's responsibility to a citizen who, while in a foreign country, is captured by an invading force and shipped to a third country, incarcerated away from the rule of law for 5 years until he pleads guilty to trumped up charges, then allows the invading force to then "graciously" hand responsibility for that person back when they've finished, but agree to lock him up at taxpayers expense until they say it's ok. That's the sort of Government we have. I don't care if David Hicks is guilty or innocent, and neither apparently do Howard and Downer. It's the difference of opinion about how he was treated that scares me.