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29 posts categorized "Current Affairs"

May 23, 2008

Oily Orgasms or Colonialism in the 21st Century

From the OMFG file, and a nice follow up to my Oily Thoughts post, the following piece of reportage isn't really a surprise. I'd put my money on the Coalition nations being aware of this development before 2003. If this is true, that of Iraq having more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia, then that would mean that its infrastructure can improve. Instead, there is a war zone and a fragile society, distracted by religious differences when their focus should be on potential wealth and social equality for all, but maybe outside nations don't want them to focus on the wealth - they want a slice of it. 350 billion barrels of oil? Fuck!

I never thought I'd see modern day colonialism, but it is there, in Iraq. A place where modern colonialism rode to on a horse named 'war against terror,' and the phrase 'establishing a democracy' translates to 'we want your oil.'

BP, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and Total, are probably orgasming from the news and clinking Cristal filled glasses.

May 02, 2008

Back to the Island of Lesbos

Here’s news that that I thought I’d never read about. A publisher is behind a campaign to reclaim the word ‘lesbian’ for inhabitants of the island of Lesbos, and it gets more interesting. The common view of Lesbos or the term lesbian, relates to poet Sappho and the scanty remnants of poetry that relates womanly love toward other women, but here’s the clincher, and it’s a well known fact. Many of Saphho’s writings were lost and Sappho’s sexuality as a lesbian (in terms of woman to woman love and sex) was never a definite. One can’t make someone into something, without evidence, and there is no proof either way, to confirm what gender Sappho preferred. There is no biography, just excerpts written by Classical Greek historians. There are no writings by Sappho on her life and desires, so the proclamation or assertion of her sexuality isn't wholly correct.

If people do get technical about it, the island of Lesbos has been the island of Lesbos for quite a long time, definitely longer than all the activists groups. A Lesbian is a word that defines a resident of Lesbos, in the same way that American defines a citizen of America.

In light of the recent Australian furor about ‘inclusive’ terms for partners, why can’t an inclusive term be created and that term be homosexual, to cover both genders? After all, homosexual means same-sex. If one group wants another group to forego words such as girlfriend, boyfriend, mother and father, and use the term ‘partner’ then why can’t the other group suggest one word to define same sex relationships?

It will be interesting to see how this pans out, because Greeks (in Greece) don’t appreciate having a name (place name or otherwise) usurped.

April 09, 2008

Olympic Fiasco

The current Olympic shitstorm is an eye opener. What I like about it is that political leaders are now coming out of the woodwork about China's stance over Tibet, when the issue has been around for years, but in the meantime - prior to the Olympic year - it was fine for companies to enter China and take economic advantage.

What was a peaceful event, the Olympics, has become tainted by protesters accosting torch bearers. It is not the torch bearers fault. An Olympic selection committee selected China as the host country. Why don't protesters target the IOC instead of attacking torch bearers? It has become a nightmare. George W Bush is being pressured to boycott the Olympic Opening Ceremony, and other world leaders are considering it, but at the end of it all, on the most simplest level - is it fair on the athletes who represent these countries?

What I do find hypocritical is the way governments have turned a blind eye for years, and how CEO's have ignored China's human rights issues for years in order to make dollars. Many Fortune 500 companies have outsourced to China, and many CEO's have waxed lyrical about the new opportunities China presented: lower salaries and cost efficacy. Why? So everyone else in the western world can purchase goods at a reasonable price. If an iPod were made in the US or in Australia, we'd be paying so much more. So this is why I don't understand the way protesters think. Do they conveniently ignore the obvious? It is not like western consumers boycott China, for if they did they would live in half furnished houses, but hey, it's all right to attack Olympic torch bearers and make their brief experience a misery just because they want to be part of something when really, they will return to buying products manufactured in China. Isn't there a more civilized way to protest?

Everything that has unfolded in the last fortnight goes against the Olympic spirit and purpose.

April 02, 2008

When Paraphilias Become Pathological

The differences between male and female sexual arousal are such that females are more vulnerable than men, and this becomes apparent in drug laced rape cases. Men need to have an erection to penetrate. It is fair to say that women can also penetrate men with sex toys, but it is quite rare for male sexual assault/rape (by a female) to make headlines. One of Victoria’s worst sex offenders, John Xydias, is currently being prosecuted for 225 sex related charges, including 69 charges of rape, and cases like this always open the can of sexual worms. When do paraphilias become pathological, to pose a threat to society? There is no definite answer to that, and the only hints that exist, exist after offenders are apprehended.

Drugs like Rohypnol have been featured in the media in the last few years, and the association of this drug (and others like it: Rohypnol is not approved for use in the United States) with date rape has been the plague of contemporary society.

You’re a woman, and you go out for a fun night with your friends and you meet someone. You like the person, and as the night progresses, drinks are shared; the initial drink rounds pose no problem, you converse for an hour or more, and it isn’t until much later, just before closing time, or perhaps at the fifth or sixth drink that things change. You wake the following morning, in someone’s bed, and have no recollection of what transpired. You find that your clothes are a little disheveled, and you are reassured that nothing underhand happened. Life moves on, and the bloke you were with may have taped his action, and you may never find out, or something may occur and your world falls apart when police come knocking at your door.

Continue reading "When Paraphilias Become Pathological" »

February 13, 2008

Say Goodbye to the Colony

People stopping over here will probably wonder what the following subject has with the subject of this blog. Plenty, that's what.

Today is a day I thought I'd never see. I'm old enough to have been exposed to a change of school curriculum; when I was at primary school, I was taught that Australia was populated 'by settlement'. At the ages of seven, eight, nine, right up until twelve, I had no reason to believe otherwise; what our teachers taught was the word, and it didn't matter if the Aboriginal kids in class despised the way Australian history was taught. It may be also noted that my elementary school education took place at Redfern Primary School at a time when 'population by settlement' was taught.

Even then, a divide existed. Kids carried chips on their shoulders, and they knew – for whatever reason – that they were on the outer. It was only as I got older, when I returned to finish my senior high school diploma that the curriculum changed; it wasn't about populating a 'new' land by settlement, it was invasion and that is what it was, and when the Stolen Generations came out and discussed their experiences, another picture emerged - that of Australia's past racist policies.

Throughout history nations and cultures that have deemed themselves superior have conquered lands with the notion of civilizing the 'savages' (a common ugly term that was used to refer to indigenous people) or utilizing those who didn't sit on their social rung for manual labor. This isn't true for every conquering culture, but it has been true for Imperialist Great Britain of 'then' (in the last three centuries) and other similar nations who carved out regions such as South Africa to go on and formulate Apartheid. It may not be a pretty picture, and it may cause offense, but there are no ways around what happened. The only redemption that exists is that which arrives though admission/acknowledgment of fault, an apology and moving forward to improve relationships.

Continue reading "Say Goodbye to the Colony" »

September 19, 2007

"Wrongful Birth"

There are those who are, especially if they've experienced difficulty with In Vitro Fertilization, over the moon if the procedure is successful, and there are those who will sue in cases where the ‘order’ was incorrect, producing two and not one child.

While there may possibly be cases out there, involving heterosexual couples, this news item relating a lesbian couple suing a gyneacologist over an extra baby is something newsworthy I think. Firstly, I think it’s novel how same sex couples go out of their way to avoid intercourse to have a child, but they want children! They're fortunate they're living in an era that can accommodate this, sans intercourse. Everyone else reproduces using standard biological intercourse. In an era where IVF was not available, I’m betting that many same sex couples looked beyond their sexuality, and bit the bullet, whereas now many either have IVF (lesbian women) or involve surrogate mothers. Hetero fertilization or reproduction may be repulsive to them, who knows? It wouldn't surprise me. This world is a circus at the best of times, with additional terminology for the Sensodyne type of person. I find this quite amusing, but I won’t discuss it. The point of focus is the newspaper article that has appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald.

In cases where a doctor ignores a patient’s request, the patient has every right to take the matter further because it’s considered negligent to ignore a patient’s request. In this case the doctor was negligent by ignoring the woman’s request for one baby, his assistant implanting two embryos.

Continue reading ""Wrongful Birth"" »

July 09, 2007

Live Earth: Environmentally (un)Sexy or Like Throwing an Orgy to Save Virginity?

I can't talk, I'm no huge militant enviro-nazi toting non biodegradable green bags (yes, those bags are non biodegradable), but I had to laugh. How could one not laugh. I don't think it's the artist's fault, but the organisers behind this series of concerts are just...


They've made their money, but it's been a media par-tay here in Australia. The Live Earth concert has been criticised in some quarters.

Prize quote comes from the Daily Telegraph, stating what can be best summarised as hypocrisy:

"Madonna's Confessions tour produced 440 tonnes of CO2 in four months of last year."

Christ, and I was starting to feel guilty about my farts? 440 tonnes is probably what a small African village produces in a decade, maybe?

How many carbon emissions across the world throughout the duration of all the concerts?

The Boston Globe gripes on about the criticism. Apparently it's 'about the message', which is all fine and well, but mate, if you can't walk the walk (and are responsible for tonnes of carbon emissions all by yourself, hi Madonna et al) then don't talk the talk. In fact, shut the fuck up. The only message I'm interpreting from it all is, 'It's all right for us to do it, because we're huge celebrities and we're handing you a message because you're all ignorant '(right, in a world that is practically dominated by Newscorp, how can we miss the news headlines?).

Don't tell me how to live my humble life, when x amount of celebrities expel more carbon emissions than an average family (Who don't own two cars, and recycle. What more do you fucking want? Blood?).

THE BEST COMMENT, offered by 'Keith' to the Daily Telegraph is the following:

"..burning up tonnes of carbon in the name of saving the planet?? It is a little like throwing an orgy to save virginity."

Rock On Keith.

June 25, 2007

"I'm not a Canine, I'm a Woman."

Wife_25There are a lot of disturbing things floating about; it makes pollen look like an appealing alternative, for a hayfever sufferer such as moi.

I confess, I feel more comfortable with thinking about sex than exploring the endless roundabout of relationship crap/manifestos/new age books and what have you that’s currently out there. It’s so out there, that it may as well be a distant planet named Bullshit Centauri, in a far off galaxy. This galaxy may as well be situated in another dimension that runs against every mathematical theory logical people have supplied endless proofs to for the past few millennia. Then again, what the hell am I talking about? We're half-way there with 'Intelligent Design' making the rounds, because a select few arrogant imbeciles cannot accept the possibility that we have evolved from our primate ancestors; humans and Orangutans have a lot of DNA in common, more than ninety percent.

I’m not sure how to broach the following subject without twisting a few noses out of joint, but jeez, this latest book doing the rounds is a joke to me, and this joke also relates to the new term or label (yet another label for women; I think we have more terms allocated to us as a gender than all the terminology the Insect Kingdom does), The Surrendered Wife.

Continue reading ""I'm not a Canine, I'm a Woman."" »

May 19, 2007

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing...

There is something that is more vulgar than screaming out the word fuck in a theater, and that’s the in-office fuckfest between a high and mighty superior and his underling. Nothing speaks of favoritism than a boss screwing their underling, or the underling approaching the one-up superior with their eye fixed on the prize. There’s nothing wrong with working one’s way up the ladder, but taking a cock to work one’s way up, and having a pussy, is so…


I don’t know if it’s vulgar, but nothing quite confirms the uselessness of post Seventies feminist thought, than the act of the power-blowjob. One doesn’t have to go far, one look at the Clinton-Lewinsky affair is enough to make one cringe. These types of scandals make the Virginia Slims ‘You’ve come a long way, baby,’ sound like a nursery rhyme in comparison.

I had a golden opportunity with a senior citizen (I was nineteen and he was over sixty, therefore considered a senior citizen) many years ago; I was employed to punch in table bills at a cabaret restaurant, and the wealthy co-owner thought he’d try his hand. My romantic view on all things sexual obliterated his chances. All right, I’ll get real. Grossly overweight, with a porcine (and pock marked) face, he'd perspire freely (even in aircon surrounds), and generate odorous shockwaves. Some of the imported cabaret singers would take up his offer, if only to extend their stay in Australia, and I’d restrain the urge to vomit each time he’d approach me. He transformed into a nasty fuck when I refused his offer. I wasn’t diplomatic back then, and this hasn’t changed too much today:

‘But you’re old enough to be my father!’ I exclaimed, and he didn’t appreciate it. I didn’t say it in a nasty way, was actually astonished that he propositioned me in the typical sugar daddy type of way, ‘you can drive one of my cars.’ He owned a Merc, BMW, Ferrari and a Corvette; a teenage boy's wet dream.

Continue reading "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing..." »

May 05, 2007

In Babel’s Tower

I figured I’d do it halfway, and somehow please my mother in some sort of way. Stopping short of marriage, I cohabited with a man from my culture for years, and although we could speak the same languages I didn’t see the supposed innate communiqué that was meant to exist. Friends of mine would go on at length about feeling ‘at home’ once they blended with their cultural clone. Sure enough, there are some things that hit home quicker than Carl Lewis, and those things (for me anyway) pertain to dirty talk or intimate sayings, but outside of this everything else annoyed me.

Where to begin?

The double standard is a popular topic of debate, and has been for decades or ever since feminist luminaries made it a global debate topic but it is often more profound within cultures that aren’t part of the mainstream. I don’t know, it has a spicier taste, and is draped thickly throughout many signposts in life and this is where relationships enter the scene.

I can’t speak for all Greeks, especially those who live in Greece, but one thing I do know is that immigration has somehow forced many of my folk to clutch their culture like a shield (at the cost of progress), and this can sometimes translate to a reluctance to adapt to everyday concepts like equality. Sex would often pepper conversations, where women were divided into two categories: the Madonna and the Whore. The whore represented the good time girl, the type that one wouldn’t bring home to meet the family, who was also less likely (or seen to be) to maintain a stable relationship or a home whereas the Madonna represented virtues that would elevate her man to some form of He-man status.

Continue reading "In Babel’s Tower" »

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