I don’t know if you’re familiar with The King’s Tribune, a monthly journal on politics, media and culture. It’s available in hard copy and online, and it’s the only journal our household reads cover to cover.
And this month I’m proud to be a contributor:
http://www.kingstribune.com/current-issue/1469-down-among-the-women
Journalist Jill Singer wrote a piece for the Herald Sun about the legal threats made against me by Melinda Tankard Reist a couple of months ago. I was enormously cheered by her perspective and it’s with some amazement that I hear she’s being replaced at the Herald Sun. Can it be true that her replacement is Lara Bingle?
As regulars know, I’m no great fan of Julia Gillard’s but driving home from my water ballet class this morning I laughed out loud when heard how she’s turned the tables on some prominent msm journalists with her announcement of Bob Carr as Foreign Minister. This follows a couple of days of unrelenting media criticism on the topic, from some who may now like to eat their words. Not that they will.
Even to my jaundiced eye, a “fairly unrelenting anti Gillard campaign” seems a realistic assessment of the last few months’ coverage by some journos, whose lack of objectivity remains inexplicable.
After the leadership question was settled the other day I firmly resolved to accept Ms Gillard, and focus all my critical faculties on Tony Abbott and his gang of thugs from now until the election. This is because I would rather have needles in my eyes than do anything that might assist those agents of Satan into government.
So please, PM, stay on track, continue to give the bastards hell in question time, and don’t do anything silly. I’m not in your electorate so I won’t be voting for you, but as I’m rather fond of my local federal member who works very hard for us, I can safely say the ALP has my vote, barring any unforseen and disagreeable event that might cause me to protest at the ballot box.
At Hoyden about town, there’s this piece on free speech that is worth reading.
At Liberty Victoria there’s the piece that sparked a Twitter exchange between myself, Sandi Logan and others, where Mr Logan displayed his mastery of Orwellian doublespeak, of which more later.
If you are interested in what’s happening in the US in the battle for the right to control what women do with our bodies, this piece from Salon is a must read.
And this little piece brought joy to my heart when I read it. As you might know, Optus took legal action in an effort to silence AFL boss Andrew Demetriou who’d accused them of stealing content and other nefarious practices. It was his personal opinion, the judge decided, and refused an injunction. At least we live in a country where we can still express personal opinions without being legally gagged. Hoo haa!
No Place For Sheep 
Uhlmann won’t be backing off Gillard and Labor any time soon,and you can bet your last cent Cassidy will try to load the couch again this weekend.
So glad that the ABC is finally being seen as what it is.
A retirement village for lazy arsed drop outs from real jobs.
(Australia’s Burgeoning Circus.)
MSM Shock jocks may be sleazoids,but they are up front about it.
Not deceptive and duplicitous like the latest 2 ambush tactics at Aunty.And that’s just why Gillard slid the Carr announcement in the way she did.Her door was open for the ABC very often until a certain ‘agenda’ developed (join the dots y’selves)
It will be interesting to see how the touted Media Watchdog thing goes,what exemptions the ABC gets etc.
More interesting in current affairs, is just how vicious the reporters at Aunty are likely to be at pursuing the Catholic Church and the Vic Minister over the latest report on child abuse and the associated psychological harm and subsequent suicides.
I’ll bet Uhlmann chucks a sicky if that EVER gets a guernsey on 7:30 Report
Don’t hold your collective breath for a Public Broadcaster approach to it.
I wonder if the ABC has actually heard of Tony Abbott?
Seeing as the Triple J Friday F_Wit is already taken, this week, I nominate the entire ABC board for a Wankley award.
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I hate the way the ABC has gone. Labor should have done more to wind back Howard’s appointments. Uhlman is a shocker, Cassidy and Jones have sold out and now Fairfax is controlled by the mining industry.
Lara Bingle may be a sorry replacement for Singer, but she would be an excellent one for Uhlman.
The way we are going, I may have to go to Fox news for some left-wing balance. 🙂
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I don’t know if Bingle is the replacement but agree the ABC missed an opportunity!
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Hi Jennifer,
Spot on with your article ‘Down Among the Women’. Indeed women can be violent, especially psychologically. One of the areas feminism has struggled with is female competition. Girls and women form gangs (peer groups) and indulge in some quite nasty exclusionary behaviour. Some of this is competition over men, but much of it is about power. There are alpha females just as there are alpha males. An anecdote.
A dear friend who had unfortunately been raped and had become (naturally) very afraid of male violence, decided to explore the lesbian scene. She had told me with some disappointment and disgust that she had visited a lesbian bar and had witnessed a butch dyke walk up to her femme girlfriend, punch her in her groin, pull her hair and yell at her that ‘she was hers’ – all because she had been talking to another woman.
I’ve also known mothers to get jealous of daughters simply because the husband/partner was paying the daughter some attention – not sexual attention, not anything inappropriate or unusual – just the normal attention one ought to give a child. This jealousy then lead to the mother psychologically excluding the child. Anyway, you will understand the context…
I happen to think that much of the fashion/beauty industry is about female competition. I mean, really, it’s not for men’s sake, most especially not shoes or heavy make-up 🙂
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I won’t be supporting Gillard ever. A young man was murdered in Indonesia by thugs bought and paid for by Australia in an Australian run refugee prison.
He was accepted as a refugee by the UNHCR yet we had him murdered.
She is more vicious than Ruddock and the brutal abuse of human rights does not get accepted just because she destroyed her own fucking colleagues.
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Lex Wotton though is not allowed to speak to the media at all – funny how being black does that.
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Wotton got six years in gaol for rioting. He was due to be released in May 2014, but he has been paroled – paroled subject to STFU and behaving himself in the meantime.
The High Court ruled that that is lawful.
If he breaks his parole he will go back to gaol. What would you do, Marilyn? Speak out and go back to gaol? Or STFU?
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No one else on parole has ever had such ridiculous fucking restrictions except David Hicks.
What are the afraid of? That Wotton might still want that murdering racist thug brought to justice.
If Wotton was white would they have shut him up.
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Given your example of David Hicks, I would say quite possibly yes. I have an uneasy feeling that gagging of various types is only going to get more and more prevalent for people of all colours in the future.
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Given the example of David Hicks, I would have to say quite possibly yes. I have an uneasy feeling that gagging of various types is only going to get more and more prevalent for people of all colours in the future.
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Well said Jennifer. There is a greater good involved in keeping “the angels of satan” as you call them, from getting their trotters onto the levers of government.
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I have finally looked up the abbreviations on all possible sites of the ‘MSM’. It is one of a chemical powder for medical use . The other one I struggled with was male sex male. ( not with the sex but with the explanation).
Can someone erudite in abbreviations give me what the meaning of MSM is? Is it something to do with whips or bondage? Whatever it is, it is probably something simple if it requires a finger pointing to. ( a body probe?)
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I’m sorry, Gerard, I know better than to use acronyms without explanation. Main stream media! Though bondage sounds good.
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gerard,
Ask MTR. She’s the sexpert on all things porn. She might even let you watch an example of MSM depravity from her research collection.
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I would be too shy, am a little coy when it comes to sex. Just the idea of knocking on MTR’s front door. Too daunting a task.I imagine it would have a little electronic device that you have to speak into, stating your name and intentions. “Hello Melinda, this is Gerard”, “can I watch you while you prepare and address a congregation about the evils of pornographic images while I do a little MSM’ing?”
She might tell me to F.O ( IMHO)
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Gerard, “msm” is a popular nickname for combined tabloid media and press.Not quite sure of its origins,but Larvatus Prodeo for one, use it big time as a kind of in house shorthand, and its becoming part of the lexicon over quite a lot of the blogosphere.
As for the rest, again must endorse a good posting from Hypocritophobe. For the rest, will study linx before adding any further pearls.
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MSM+ Mainsream Media.
(Until it all became chaff,as per the last decade, and more recently with Murdoch ‘acquiring’ the ABC),
it’s other suggested meanings are…
Milieux for Sado_Masochists
Morons Selling to Morons
Mindless Spineless Musings
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Hypo, I own up to mindless silly musings…
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Speaking of musings…
I cannot believe not one banner (was there any?) went for ‘Gillard Gets Second Hand Carr’.
‘Used Carr Warranty’ etc
‘Second Hand (Used) Carr Salesman’ etc
‘How to Fix a Carr’
‘High Mileage Carr to Run Government Errands, Overseas’.
‘Around The World with a Used Carr”
Or did I miss it?
(Copyright!! )
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ahhh,thanks Jennifer et Paul.
Wot about Emma Alberici replacing Herr Uhlman for the 7.30 report? I like her. She managed to get Pyne to prattle himself into a corner at late-line. What’s up with Abbott and his anaemic deathly pallor of late?
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Somebody said that he and his wife are separated, separating, but I have no idea if this is the truth or a vicious rumour!
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He certainly looks very pale. People of course will speculate on anything. But, Abbott’s pallor combined with his strange walk indicates either unrequited love or a possible medical problem..
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Piles?
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Hopefully both, Jennifer…
Emma Alberici doing 7.30 would indicate a return to responsible journalism, so must disappoint Gerard here. In fact Gerard should know better, having no doubt identified a while back that their ABC had other plans for it.
The fact that it is now an electronic “Volkischer Beobachter”, has in no way been incidental.
Incidentally, much pleasure in certain parts of the blogosphere at (finally) the wrong footing of Michelle Grattan and other tabloid tormentors of Labor. Mrs Chook, on your walking-frame and be off with you!
Obviously if Labor loses, a Carr wreck is lest unsightly than a slo-mo train wreck. That all that’s left of Carr is misanthropy is a fact that won’t trouble the punters too deeply, he still has some reputation out in the boondoggles and may give the msm something diversionary to chew over, allowing their other prey to negotiate an undeserved escape.
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I’m temporarily sick of politics and as long as they thwart Abbott & co am not terribly interested in much else. I’ll get over it I suppose, but am immersing myself in more nourishing things for a while.
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LOL, Piles! very astute Jennifer.
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Speaking of Emma; I’ve been watching Lateline/Business long enough to have grown accustomed to the hosting styles of both Ms Alberici and Ms Fullerton. Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed a distinct change in both this year? Ticky seems unusually bubbly (most unusually for a business report) and Emma seems at times almost … flirtatious?
Is it possible that ABC management has decreed that the female news presenters were being too serious and needed to fun it up, or am I just imagining things?
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I have noticed,it has to be all Entertainment with white balloons and lots of laughter. I call it Annabell-ing, yellow sunhats and stories in Womans Weekly…
Now, where does the surly Uhlmann fit in with this cheerfullness 🙂
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Annabell-ing; I like it. May I also suggest Crabbifying?
And I notice Tony Jones does not seem to have been requested to change his manner either. So, just the ladies then?
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It may not be PC to say so, but Leigh Sales was supposed to be number 1 for 7.30, and took the spot knowing she was three months pregnant; she has now been out of action for several months with her new baby (congratulations and all that), but it rather left us all in the lurch with Uhlmann left in charge of the asylum.
Come back Leigh!
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Maybe they are both just Soooooooooooo enamoured with the ‘womans rights champion’, the witty, effervescent, New Age Thinking, comedian,happy go lucky, macho man Mr Chris Uhlmann?
(!)
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Is there something about Mr Uhlmann that I’ve missed? I don’t know much about the man except for the fact that a lot of people seem to be casting a lot of stones in his direction at the present.
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Another failed priest : automatically suspicious.
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Oh not really.
I think I’m just jealous of anyone who gets to do the centrefold three months running over at Choir Boys Monthly.
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I’m quite new to the WordPress comments system. Can anyone suggest why about half my attempts at reply seem to go through fine while the other half just disappear into the either (happens here and on one other blog)? Are there certain things to avoid or is it just luck of the draw?
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For some reason the spam filter occasionally becomes excessively energetic. I’ll go there now and inform it you are not spam!
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Much appreciated. And I see my dead replies have all sprung back to life.
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Don’t SueMeMTR:
Emma is just happy and might have been a bit flirtatious with that Finnish education expert. Who would not have been? I have caught her looking at me in a certain way as well. I rather look at her than Albrechtson, even with that leather stock-whip around her neck.
Yes, sometimes the attempts at a reply vanish, especially if you try and revise or correct mistakes. It seems that during rain speed is important. Do you have your system on wireless without a land line and on VOIP?
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I had the same issues.DSMMTR
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
If JW is watching she may be able to help.
Something to do with SPAM settings at the other end.
I have also since tweaked my browser and security settings which seemed to help.
Mozilla/Avast
Can I suggest that you do all your posts on a text or word doc and then copy and paste into the window on the Blog site.
Save the original.It won’t make the comment load,but if you save the doc, at least you can repost it later when things are working again.
Nothing worse than losing a big lump of spontaneous inspiration!
(I reckon it is mainly a WordPress issue, too)
It could be traffic related.
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By the way JW,the Grrrr was not for you,just for the technology!
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Don’t Sue Me, if you go through reply, your comment will go to whoever you are replying to, whereas as if you just pound out a straight comment rather than a reply, it will end up at the bottom where it usually belongs.
Who would agree that Jane Hutcheon is more assured that any of the presenters mentioned above?
Why is she not doing the show, or is she too likely to make sense out of issues for viewers. Red Kezza, Jones; so many more capable than the cut outs there now, particularly Uhlmann.
ABC is becoming so lobotomised that even the Chaser team have forsaken it for greener pastures.
Green being the colour of what they have been offered by commercial media to probably butcher their satire down to slapstick for commercial audiences.
Actually, both SBS and ABC tonight were just sh-t. The ABC left out the story of Obama siding with the law student shock jock Rush Limbaugh called a slut, for a prolonged gung ho propaganda bash on Iran and Syria; it’s getting its getting fairly 1984.
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Aunty are trying to replicate the right wing media arsseholes.They want to fabricate outrage.Controversy!
They want hate pulsating through the veins of the once loyal ABC patrons.
Enter Uhlmann, (the nut that fits the bolt(bill)
Any sadder and it would be funny.
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Gerard: No wireless, do have a landline, no VOIP. So guessing that’s not it.
Hypocritophobe: Thanks for the suggestions. I have in fact already worked out the benefits of a separate text editor. Every so often when I attempt a repost I’ll get a “duplicate comment” message, but neither message ever appears. I am guessing this is indeed to do with spam filtering. I shall have to endeavour to make my comments less spam-like.
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Thanks Paul. I’d be willing to give Ms Hutcheon a run. And I seem to remember Ali Moore not doing a terrible job when she did a run on 7.30 a while back. What is she doing now?
And I like your description of ABC as being lobotomised. I don’t know if it’s more budgetary or cultural, but I’ve certainly picked up the sense of a gradual, lazy “dumbing down”.
Can’t say I’ll miss the chaser boys all that much though. I only found them funny 5-10% of the time. For the rest I thought they either missed the point of what they were sending up, dodged the real issue in favour of a softer target or just filled time with material that was neither satirical nor particularly funny. I know humour is subjective though. No doubt some people think they were the wittiest bunch of buggers going.
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Yes, I liked Ali More, funny but I thought about her today and wondered what happened to her…
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In the end The Chaser,became the follower.It unearthed some very funny, witty,searingly biting writer/comedians.
There is no way that sort of multi-ego brilliance can sustain a long term relationship (together).
The subsequent dilution may or may not deliver a group of talents.
eg.
Did the Beatles ever become four musical forces post breakup?
Did Howard and Costello?
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I loved the Chasers when they first appeared, they were very good, but then something happened, and they seemed to have lost it…were there too many court cases, or what…?
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Helvi, who was slandering me? This time, I mean. 🙂
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Jen, one of your friends from Drum opinion, but this was not on Drum…she writes under many pseudos, very negative, no empathy, always on attack mode, borderline, hates me too…, better say no more,she is already making my life hell, I have gone into hiding ( ever-changing pseudonyms)… 🙂
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Oh, OK thanks Helvi. I don’t want more trouble for you. I probably wouldn’t respond if it’s the sort of comment I think it is! Though it does amuse me how people try to invalidate a doctorate!
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Jennifer.
I think you need a stronger SPAM-icide.
Because a we(should) know every SPAM is NOT sacred!
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LOL. Very good, Hypo
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Ali Moore is errrm, OK but she cannot offer what the ABC currently requires to compete with her Sister-ship the S.S Murdoch Inc.
Apparently Uhlmann gives good head….
.
.
.
.
.
lines.
.
.
.
But I doubt anyone would (sparrow like bird) that
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I like spam. Back in the sixties and living in a very sparsely furnished room, I used to sit on the edge of my single bed, open the tin of spam with that handy little tool that was attached to the top and slowly ( in order not to break the tool) twist the lid off.
One was greeted by a little white blubbery bit of fat coagelatined to the top hiding its delicious pink coloured innards with the smell all pervasive. Scooping it up with a teaspoon while turning the pages of Orlando. I remember it as if yesterday.
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Yes Gerard, but back in those days, ecstacy was something you experienced during sex, fantasy some thing you enjoyed reading a copy of “Man Junior”, pinched from the old man’s shed, grass was some thing you cut with a rotary lawn mower and smoking pot meant you’d burnt the stew, a situation to only be rectified by a sturdy application of elbow grease.
Ali Moore has retreated to Singapore, with family- Murdoch, eh?
I enjoyed the CNNN/Glass House etc era and I believe these were dismembered by factors both financial and cultural, consciously applied together to dumb down.
This was an era when SBS was so much better also; ad-free and I remember being in stitches watching a Brit satirical thing called Broken News, that took the mickey out of exactly the thing the ABC and SBS do now, where substance is sacrificed for appearance.This was during the era when both ABC and SBS began getting rid of current affairs and docos in favour of cheap, hammy studio crap.
Hypocritophobe’s short take sums it up perfectly.
The Chasers had the last laugh in one case tho.
Their hijacking of a conference motorcade route during Howard’s dying days in office, made complete idiots of security and also the pomposity of Howard’s event and was arguably one of the final nails in the coffin of his PM-ship.
.
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Well Paul, that leaves the Jim Lehrer Hour, alas without Jim.
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The old Playschool team could rung rings around the current crop of ABC journos.
We could even spice it up by looking thru different windows occasionally, instead of Gillards night after night.
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Now you’re talking. Is Benita Collings still around? Put Slush in a suit to do finance, maybe.
Actually, since we’re all crapping on ABC news presenters, what do people think of Stephen Long. I kinda like him.
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Long is a revelation. Here the story is paramount, before the presenter.
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