Does He Know if He's Bleeding?

Scanner geeks now take police radio messages and post them to Twitter.

The activities of Sheboygan, Wisconsin's police force are unmissable.

This just in:

he says 2 people in masks assaulted him on erie ave; doesn't know if he was stabbed

— Sheboygan Scanner (@sheboyganscan) April 29, 2012

Le Syndrome des Grands Pavots

Two letters in today's Silly:

Taxing times have not even begun

Some think life is tough in our country. They should try on the challenger to Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential elections (''French feel little passion for man who would be president'', April 23).

Francois Hollande, the early favourite to win the presidency, has appealed to voters by promising to impose a 75 per cent tax rate on people earning more than $1.27 million a year. In this country, the high-roller earners don't seem to even know what a fair tax contribution is.
John Fryer Ryde

Anyone who says this country should be more like Europe has never actually been there for more than a fortnight. The place is cactus. I'm sure taxing the rich will appeal to people who set cars on fire for sport. Votes guaranteed.

After a first letter, insisting dem richers should be taxed out of the country, comes more advice for one of the country's wealthiest businessmen:

Wanted: a video ref

What a disgraceful way for the A-League to decide the Premiership (''Roar deal: Berisha's air swing guts Glory, as Brisbane take title'', April 23). A player falls over his own feet and the referee makes an incorrect decision that affects the outcome of the season.
If ever there was a case for video referees inside the penalty area, this result is it. And I don't even follow Perth or Brisbane. Come on, Frank Lowy, have the guts to innovate. Who knows, the rest of the football world may follow.
Malcolm Auld North Manly

Why would Lowy, or anyone else bother innovating or achieving, when the fruits of their labour will be punitive taxation?

See also: Payroll tax. Your reward for giving people employment.

Number One on Google

According to Blogger's statistics, in the last month this blog was visited by two people searching Google for "Anal Palestine".

RWDB is the number one search result. Ulululululululululul.........

Point Missed

I receive the "Timeout"email of things to see and do around town. Have a read of their ANZAC Day recommendations. Booze, food, party. The only vaguely ANZAC related comment is a single paragraph:

To entertain the crowd and help remember the Anzac men and women, The Scots Old Boys Pipe Band will march up and down Cumberland Street playing ‘Waltzing Matilda’.

They're called "ANZACs", actually. Not that this should interfere with the drinking and the gambling. ANZAC Day really needs to stop being a cynical money-grubbing race between pubs to see who has the "biggest 2-up". Lest we forget though:

With great food, drink, live entertainment plus ‘The Last Post’ being played at 6pm, there are plenty of reasons to head down to The Australian and celebrate Anzac Day.

Woot! Teh Last Post!

Selective Responsibility

The Los Angelese times published photos of good, albeit silly but decent American soldiers standing next to the corpses of evil Islamic suicide bombers, apparently:

The decision to publish the photos, provided by an anonymous soldier, also set off a debate about whether the newspaper had acted responsibly.

Yet according to the Los Angeles Times' editor:

LA Times editor Davan Maharaj said, "After careful consideration, we decided that publishing a small but representative selection of the photos would fulfill our obligation to readers to report vigorously and impartially on all aspects of the American mission in Afghanistan, including the allegation that the images reflect a breakdown in unit discipline that was endangering US troops."

I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure the Los Angeles Times didn't feel it had any similar obligation to readers to publish the Danish Mohammed cartoons. You know, being all vigorous and impartial.

I guess pissing off Americans is a lot safer.

Melbourne does a Clover

When even the luvvies at The Age are upset about bike lanes, someone at the RACV needs to have a second thought before doing something really, really stupid.

Clover Moore is trying to turn Sydney into Melbourne (trams blocking traffic and small bars). Why would Melbourne want to become Sydney? They can't both be right.

Rapists without Borders

Expert evidence that an Afghan refugee didn't fully comprehend the meaning of sexual consent when he raped two women has been rejected by a Victorian judge.

Esmatullah Sharifi was jailed for 14 years for raping the two women, who were both intoxicated, within a five-day period.

Sharifi pleaded guilty to one count of rape over a 2008 attack on an 18-year-old woman he picked up outside a nightclub when she was drunk.

He was jailed in 2009 for nine and a half years for another rape committed five days after that attack, on Christmas Day.

It was a cultural thing...

The court heard Sharifi suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his Shi'ite Muslim family, from the Hazara ethnic minority, being persecuted by the Taliban, who had killed his father.

Sharifi fled to Pakistan and came to Australia on a temporary protection visa in 2001.

And someone approved this guy's residency.