Australian short film -
I Love Sarah Jane 'Jimbo is 13. All he can think about is one girl, Sarah Jane. And no matter what stands in his way - bullies, violence, chaos, zombies - nothing is going to stop him from finding a way into her world.' NSFW - swearing and gore. SLYT.
posted by fearfulsymmetry
on Jul 30, 2008 -
16 comments
50 years ago Johnny O'Keefe released
"Wild One" and Australia had its first homegrown rock'n'roll star. To commemorate the 50th year of Australian rock'n'roll The Age newspaper has asked various Australian music industry figures to pick the
top 50 Australian albums (scroll down for the Top 50 - or check the (more inside)).
[more inside]
posted by awfurby
on Jul 14, 2008 -
51 comments
The draft Garnaut Climate Change Review was released last Friday. This is the most comprehensive look so far at the economic implications of climate change and emissions trading for a developed country (Australia). Essential (but weighty) reading for those interested in the economics of the issue, a useful localisation of
Stern (2006).
[more inside]
posted by wilful
on Jul 6, 2008 -
18 comments
Garry McDonald, aka
Norman Gunston, aka the "
little aussie bleeder," may be well known out Australia way. For most Americans, however,
Norman G remains far, far down under the radar. But he's the forefather of the UK's
Ali G; he's Canadian
Nardwuar thee Human Serviette's nerdier dad; he's America's
Lazlo Toth (US) with a combover and a microphone; he's
Jiminy Glick's
Jack Sprat.
Perhaps you saw Norman long ago in a segment on USA Network's
Night Flight variety
show.
[bonus: many many youtubes of Night Flight segments, courtesy of this awesome website.] But I bet you didn't know he released a
KIckaSS single (among
others), jammed with
Frank Zappa, and was at the right place and time
to upstage a piece of Australian History. Not bad for someone whom
Keith Moon dumped his drink on and called a "great pooftah." [more inside]
posted by not_on_display
on May 4, 2008 -
21 comments
Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu doesn't speak much, but when he takes up his guitar, he
sings, literally and figuratively. He sings of growing up in an Aboriginal community on a remote island off the north coast of Australia; he sings of coming to terms with being born blind; and he sings the creation stories of his
Yolngu people.
posted by dhruva
on Apr 22, 2008 -
19 comments
A few years ago when I was visiting Alaska, one of the more interesting portions of the trip was the 45-minute drive from Anchorage to Girdwood along the
Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. This is one of the world's rare bodies of water that features
bore tides, an amazing scene. The highway is one of only 15 roads in the United States that have been designated an "All-American Road." What about some of the world's greatest highways?
[more inside]
posted by netbros
on Apr 17, 2008 -
17 comments
Quentin Bryce has been chosen as Australia's new head of state from next month. As the first Australian female in the role she joins a growing list (
currently 48) of international national leaders. Bryce previously served as the Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner and director of the Queensland Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission prior to her role as Queensland governor.
Replacing a highly decorated
ex-soldier, who cut a
low profile, who had himself replaced a
controversial clergyman, Bryce has the opportunity make a significant mark on the country.
She will join the
list of first holders of political offices, and bring us closer to to a situation where the appointment of women to positions of power is no longer remarkable.
posted by bystander
on Apr 13, 2008 -
30 comments
First, a bit of an
introduction to the game of
Cricket (youtube) for those of us who may not be
familiar with the
sport. Next, a few
clips (1, 2, 3, 4) on how
awesome the
Gentleman's Game can be (and you thought we didn't do anything but roam around in our white pants and cotton shirts...). But, if that wasn't enough for you, then here's a taste of
Twenty20 Cricket (the
fast,
fast paced version of the game), and the new
DLF Indian (pdf) Premier League. (This is in addition to the
One Day Matches, which were instituted to bring in a bit more excitement into the game during the 1970's, prior to which the match only consisted of
Tests. However, some purists still maintain that the game would've been better served had it not been
commercalized to the extent that it has, and still prefer the leisurely pace of the original format to its current incarnation.)
[more inside]
posted by hadjiboy
on Mar 20, 2008 -
56 comments
Two historic photography collections from Sydney's Powerhouse Museum:
The Tyrell Collection - glass plate negatives from the Sydney studios of Charles Kerry and Henry King from 1884-1917 depicting a local record of the times; and the
Hedda Morrison Collection - photographs from China, 1933-1946. The collection also includes personal papers and objects, such as Chinese papercuts, belt toggles, and photos from a 1930s-era folk festival in Germany.
posted by madamjujujive
on Mar 16, 2008 -
4 comments
If you who hear a symphony each time you open a beer,
here's a little Friday fun.
(Check out the 'Behind the Scenes' video too.)
NB: Flash and music.
posted by essexjan
on Mar 7, 2008 -
11 comments
Master of the 'didge' - after veins burst in his throat some years ago while he was playing the didgeridoo, doctors warned that continued playing would threaten his life. Admitted to hospital last week with bleeding on the brain, he died on Sunday from a brain haemorrhage. He was 40.
[more inside]
posted by tellurian
on Feb 28, 2008 -
18 comments
End of Empire : A collaboration of all areas of geopolitics affecting countries of the world in relation to the 'Empire' of the United States of America, and the 'sub-Empires', such as the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and any other country which seeks to exploit poorer nations and their people in the quest for domination.
posted by adamvasco
on Nov 27, 2007 -
11 comments
Senator On-Line (‘SOL’) is a truly democratic party which will allow everyone on the Australian Electoral roll who has access to the internet to vote on every Bill put to Parliament and have its Senators vote in accordance with a clear majority view. They will be running candidates for the upcoming federal Upper House (Senate) elections.
posted by finite
on Nov 15, 2007 -
28 comments
The Soapbox is a collection of photographs, texts of speeches, transcripts of debates and political ads from Australian election campaigns (both State and Federal) from 1901 to the present day. More materials will be added when they become available.
posted by Effigy2000
on Oct 25, 2007 -
3 comments
And we're off! Prime Minister John Howard has set the date for the Australian Federal election as November 24th, meaning we're up for a long six-week campaign. With Kevin Rudd leading the PM by
between 16 to 18 points (depending on who you read) in recent opinion polls, this election seems the most likely to provide a change of Government since Howard was first elected 11 years ago. Antony Green's usual excellent election guide is
up and running here, along with an
excellent calculator which shows which seats are up for grabs dependent on a
2 party preferred swing. You might also want to check out the
Vote-O-Matic, a fun but entirely disposable quiz which aims to help you decide who you'll vote for.
[more inside]
posted by Effigy2000
on Oct 13, 2007 -
603 comments
Google launches a site dedicated to the upcoming Australian Federal Election with Youtube channels from each party, electoral boundaries integrated into Google Maps, a search engine to allow you to view what each candidate has said on a range of issues, from immigration to interest rates, news from your electorate, and graphs of media activity on candidates and issues. Australians have been lacking a comprehensive political resource like the UK's
The Work For You, and Google has brought it one step closer.
Unfortunately, many of the resources are in the form of gadgets you add to your iGoogle homepage, rather than standalone applications.
posted by Jimbob
on Sep 16, 2007 -
29 comments
Like the
US, the
UK, and
Canada before it, Australia has recently announced that, as part of its new citizenship guidelines, prospective citizens
must pass a test with
questions relating to Australian history, society, and culture. Not everyone is a
fan of the test, though, or the information on it, and today The Age has released
its own suggestions for a citizenship test. Could you pass it?
posted by mosessis
on Aug 29, 2007 -
70 comments
Spending years clarifying my observations of the community and putting them down on paper slowly revealed a society beset by a fatal condition; an affliction that has been destroying us at an ever increasing rate for two centuries and must eventually return us to barbarism. A final result that should be no surprise, as it has overtaken every other civilization; a fate that appears as inevitable and as irreversible as old age with its increasing feebleness and dementia. I was no longer interested in why our bureaucracy was full of incompetents? but why our society was full of incompetents? My original aim to improve my community with technology was replaced with answering the question, why does a community age like any other creature?
Philip Atkinson knows: civilization is in decline. And he's determined to
tell you about it. Find out the truth about
Nelson Mandela,
AIDS,
obesity,
parenting,
standard weights and measures, and, of course,
the Ten Commandments. We're
screwed, guys. Sit down,
read a book, and
watch it burn.
posted by nasreddin
on Aug 22, 2007 -
44 comments
australianscreen launched today. You can view clips from Australian feature films, documentaries, TV programs, shorts, home movies, newsreels, advertisements, other historical footage, and sponsored films produced over the last 100 years, with curators’ notes and other information about each title.
[via Margaret and David]
posted by tellurian
on Jul 18, 2007 -
8 comments
An "
order of magnitude older than the dinosaurs," even older than clams, bugs, vertebrates, are
jellyfish. At almost 600 million years old, jellyfish are some of the oldest animals on the earth that have survived the test of time.
Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin, (yes, of that
Gershwin family) is a
scientist studying
jellyfish in Queensland, Australia and was recently
interviewed by the ABC. I was particularly disturbed by her gripping description of the tiny
Irukandji jellyfish and how the venom
affects humans. This summer,
swim at your own risk.
posted by gen
on Jun 13, 2007 -
27 comments
