Ah yes. As much as I enjoy reading about Howard dumping another large one on Costello, I feel a bit of help for the gutless wonder is in order.

Costello would look pretty good with the python stuffed down his trousers AND doing the lambada with Kerrie (or Kerry, no difference really).

I'm enjoying Melbourne's sunshine, hoping for some decent rain soon, and another thrashing for the Pies.

Meanwhile, the tedious and energetic members of Costello's tribe are running about, all sweaty, sphincters puckered, trying to manage the Nuz cycle for the next few days.

Howard has the ball, kicking out from the goal square, to what? The whole team is lined up down the corridor, all behind Costello, who is standing at 16m with his arms and mouth open, waiting for a little girlie pass. Who is going to break out, and run like the devil for the big 55m torp? Howard won't kick it to someone who is standing still. Costello is just about done for, and if another contender doesn't flag interest soon, the Libs will be in bother.

Costello should have presented the Anzac medal to Andrew Lovett. He missed an opportunity there. Did he have a go, or would it have offended his leader, if he'd shaken the hand of a true Australian?

Sadly, you are so spot on with this one that it's not actually funny.

T.G., you are quite correct about Costello. If he hasn't got the cujones to make a stand against Howard this time he might as well retire gracefully to the private sector. The public will have lost all respect for him as a man.

I hope the pies will get thrashed again too. Fancy those pied twits trying to poach Jonathon Brown from Brisbane...is nothing sacred?

From the ABC

Ads touted to fund ABC drama
A member of the Federal Government's backbench communications committee has called for advertising to be allowed on the ABC to pay for more drama production.
ACT Senator Gary Humphries has described the level of Australian drama on the national broadcaster as appalling.
He says there needs to be a decent injection of money which should come from increased funding and limited advertising.
Senator Humphries says the matter has already been informally raised with ministers.
"I think people will certainly be prepared to talk about these issues and I hope it'll get currency," he said.
"After all, I think everybody values the role played by our national broadcaster.
"We have a fantastic national asset in the ABC.
"We want to see it built up and strengthened, and producing a decent level of Australian drama is an essential part of its mission and it should be doing that better."

Gus asks: Is this the same government that, a couple of month ago, through the voice of a certain MR Abbott — paid as Health Minister and Overfed Kiddies — told a four corner program for people to watch the ABC if they did not want to see ads? Are they all living on the same planet?

No ads for the ABC... Advertising, as it has been mentioned on this site would compromise the integrity of public broadcasting. The government can afford to pay the ABC a bit more if it wants more out of the ABC

ABC director Russell Balding wrote a good article for today's Financial Review ($2.50).

Here's a taste, sorry I can't find it at afr.com, to steal a chunk.

For all those who ask to see their housewives desperate, their brotehrs big and their planes and passengers lost,  Australian commercial television has the answers, and plenty of them.  For commercial television, that's exactly as it should be. But those who want more programs that reflect more about who we  are and where we came from - our "sense of national identity" as the ABC charter describes it - should be able to rely upon the ABC.

It doesn't sound like Russell is about to throw in the towel, even though they are under the pall of an efficiency review.

On stories, we haven't heard anything like enough about the DPs who left the wreckage of post-war Europe, to make good in Oz - for example.

Not relevant here, but this is great writing -
DC Confidential: Face to face with a furious John Major every morning

From the new york Times

The Evil Screen's Plot to Take Over the 2-and-Under World

By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN
Published: April 14, 2006
SELF-DOUBT stymies the television watcher. Go to the symphony, the opera, the theater or the ballet and you're rewarded with a feeling of cultural accomplishment; if you like the production, you feel improved, and if you dislike it, you feel superior. Either way, you've won.

But television is not for winners. Television is for low, exhausted potato people who slouch, and for their children, who are plopped in front of it. Slouchers and ploppers, that's us — and we tend to incur the wrath of more upright types. But, in spite of that generalized scorn and the self-doubt it induces, the loser in all of us plainly can't stop watching television, partly because it affords an opportunity, in our hard-driving world, to waste time and energy flagrantly, to live profligately, to forgo winning.

read more at The New York Times

____________________

Gus agrees... Yep, most TV, especially commercial TV, is perfect for politicians to "control" our mind... actually to "wipe" our mind if we end up having one, if we care to have one after years of exhaustive flicker viewing... Can we get up?... pass the remote... Go to the cartoon that leads this blog... cry and have another tinnie.

From a reliable third party source:

August one, International Breast-feeding Day.

But in the meantime, there's also celebration of breast-feeding this weekend in some part of Australia...

One of the major Sunday paper is doing a story on the subject...

But media photographer says that the paper cannot show a picture of a woman breast-feeding... but it can show a picture of a baby being bottle fed. Nurse working on the project is puzzled. Photographer: we're a family newspaper... we cannot show a woman breast-feeding... Nurse is flabbergasted. Rings the paper's editors... Same answer. Nurse is appalled: the papers does not hesitate is showing the tits and bums of celebrities, scantily covered and in full bosoming display but can't show a baby being breast-fed, even if the head of the baby covers the breast...

Why bother living...

Gus thinks either the laws are crook or the powdered milk industry "controls" the perception of the most natural act in raising babies... Who knows...There is something not quite right...

COMMERCIAL television has abandoned its commitment to news and current affairs, with The Australian and the ABC among the few media outlets still investing in quality journalism, Ray Martin said last night.

The TV stalwart, in delivering the annual lecture in honour of the late ABC broadcaster Andrew Olle, said Channel 9, where he worked for 30 years, had made a "dopey" decision this year to dump its best news and current affairs programs.

"Business Sunday got the chop first. Given the state of the world right now, how prescient was that?" Martin said.
Related Coverage

"Then Nightline was flicked. Saddest of all, the Sunday program was ingloriously dumped, despite picking up five Walkley Award nominations last year.

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Mind you the stalwarts might not last too long... and study toon at top carefully and note the date...

Mourning Old Media’s Decline

The news that Google settled two longstanding suits with book authors and publishers over its plans to digitize the world’s great libraries suggests that some level of détente could be reached between old media and new.

If true, it can’t come soon enough for the news business.

It’s been an especially rotten few days for people who type on deadline. On Tuesday, The Christian Science Monitor announced that, after a century, it would cease publishing a weekday paper. Time Inc., the Olympian home of Time magazine, Fortune, People and Sports Illustrated, announced that it was cutting 600 jobs and reorganizing its staff. And Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the country, compounded the grimness by announcing it was laying off 10 percent of its work force — up to 3,000 people.

Clearly, the sky is falling. The question now is how many people will be left to cover it.

It goes on. The day before, the Tribune Company had declared that it would reduce the newsroom of The Los Angeles Times by 75 more people, leaving it approximately half the size it was just seven years ago.

The Star-Ledger of Newark, the 15th-largest paper in the country, which was threatened with closing, will apparently survive, but only after it was announced that the editorial staff would be reduced by 40 percent.

And two weeks ago, TV Guide, one of the famous brand names in magazines, was sold for one dollar, less than the price of a single copy.

------

see toon at top and other relevant articles on this site...

The BBC Trust, the corporation's governing body, has given a provisional go-ahead for a project which could kick-start demand for internet TV.

Project Canvas is a partnership between the BBC, ITV, BT, Five, Channel 4 and TalkTalk to develop a so-called Internet Protocol Television standard.

It would see a range of set-top boxes available to access on-demand TV services such as iPlayer and ITVplayer.

Set-top boxes, expected to cost around £200, could be available next year.

The Trust reached its provisional conclusions following more than 800 written responses.

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Meanwhile in Aussie Land, one can go and watch one's favourite ABC show on the existing net by going to ABC iView... from anywhere in the world... Not HD quality though... and a bit rough at time too. Still better than mouldy cheese... See toon at top.

Researchers have found more than half of newspaper stories surveyed over five days were driven by the public relations industry.

More than 2,000 articles from 10 newspapers were analysed by the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism at the University of Technology in Sydney and online publication Crikey in September last year.

The results showed nearly 55 per cent of all stories were triggered by public relations firms.

The Daily Telegraph came out on top with 70 per cent of its stories sourced from the PR sector, with the Sydney Morning Herald at 42 per cent.

Crikey editor Sophie Black says it is not what most readers would expect.

"It's not to say there isn't a role for public relations," she said.

"But I think most readers would be very surprised to realise that a lot of the news they read has been generated by PR in some way."

Crikey says most journalists and editors refused to respond when asked about the public relations element in their stories, and some later withdrew comments out of fear they would be reprimanded or fired.

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Definitely not news to us... See 2005 toon at top... But let us say news has been in the throws of propagada and PR since several centuries BC, although the PR of today is corse and the newspapers are lazy easy pushovers...

from Jim Schembri

If things were as they ought to be, Bert's legacy as host should be a fond memory, a reference point of excellence for the new generation of personalities. His annual contribution should be nothing more than a respectful cutaway and an affectionate gag from younger, fresher hosts eager to put their stamp on the event.

------------------

Gus: obviously, Jim is too young now and one day will be too old to understand the gamut of Bert's funny blurts. He can still run rings around the young ones, like you could not and they could not believe — all without smut (er...)... And when Bert saluted Don Lane at Don's tribute, Bert did far more than lift his toupee in honour of the lankee yank... But that was deliberately done for the cameras to pick up the "news" item as well as entertain many loyal folks... if moonface is picked for the logies, then so be it, much better than some pimply motor-mouths.

------------------

Meanwhile at entertainment central:

"In his own time Jim [Jim Schembri] loves to write, read, watch TV, catch mice, sing in the spa, talk on the phone and collect Star Wars toys.

... see toon at top...

By RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

When Alexander Lebedev and his son, Evgeny, took over The Evening Standard of London 14 months ago, the media coverage focused on the father’s status as a former K.G.B. agent and Russian oligarch, and on both men’s taste in beautiful women. Many news reports asked whether they would be an unhealthy influence on one of Britain’s major newspapers.

By last Thursday, when they struck a deal to buy another respected but failing British paper, The Independent, the question had become whether the Lebedevs had improbably emerged as among the best hopes for preserving serious journalism in Britain.

“I think it was too flattering for me,” Alexander Lebedev, 50, said wryly of the recent coverage, in an interview by telephone from Moscow, while on his way to meet a business partner, Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader. “I hope I don’t get spoiled.”

Reports in Britain on the Independent deal once again mentioned his K.G.B. past, his vast riches ($2 billion, according to Forbes) and his political aspirations. But this time around, much of it also credited the Lebedevs with keeping alive two money-losing daily papers that probably would have died without the new owners, and not interfering with The Standard’s news coverage.

“There was skepticism, but we have had as yet no evidence that Mr. Lebedev believes in anything other than financing a serious free press,” said Tim Luckhurst, head of the journalism center at the University of Kent. “He talks very passionately about this, and it seems as if he means it.”

Last October, the Lebedevs changed The Evening Standard, which serves the London region, into a free paper without paring back its content — this, in a nation where free papers have tended to be breezy digests. It also nearly tripled its circulation, to more than 600,000. Aided by the deaths of two free London dailies last year, The Standard claims that it has gained far more in advertising revenue than it has lost in reader payments.

----------------------------

The world needs the Independent... but does not need Murdoch's media...

By MARK MAZZETTI

WASHINGTON — The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region, according to defense officials and military documents.

The secret directive, signed in September by Gen. David H. Petraeus, authorizes the sending of American Special Operations troops to both friendly and hostile nations in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Horn of Africa to gather intelligence and build ties with local forces. Officials said the order also permits reconnaissance that could pave the way for possible military strikes in Iran if tensions over its nuclear ambitions escalate.

While the Bush administration had approved some clandestine military activities far from designated war zones, the new order is intended to make such efforts more systematic and long term, officials said. Its goals are to build networks that could “penetrate, disrupt, defeat or destroy” Al Qaeda and other militant groups, as well as to “prepare the environment” for future attacks by American or local military forces, the document said. The order, however, does not appear to authorize offensive strikes in any specific countries.

In broadening its secret activities, the United States military has also sought in recent years to break its dependence on the Central Intelligence Agency and other spy agencies for information in countries without a significant American troop presence.

from the NYT

There were many familiar names. Barry Diller of IAC/InterActiveCorp, Rupert Murdoch of the News Corporation and Henry R. Kravis of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts all made it. So did the Google troika of Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Mr. Schmidt, as well as Mr. Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook.

But there were also fresher faces like Mark Pincus of the social game maker Zynga, and Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter.

Not everyone was from Hollywood or New York or Silicon Valley. Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister of Singapore, was present this year. Gen. David H. Petraeus is scheduled to appear on a panel on Saturday.

Yet other regular attendees, like Howard Stringer of Sony, Mel Karmazin of Sirius XM Radio and Sumner M. Redstone of Viacom, were no-shows this year. And one of the biggest names on the invitation list, Steven P. Jobs of Apple, had not arrived as of Thursday afternoon.

But many of the high-powered attendees did not come alone. As usual, many bring their spouses and children. The children were chaperoned by an army of local youths. Like their parents, they had plenty to do: rafting, miniature golf and, in light of the World Cup, soccer. As their parents clinked glasses on the lodge’s patio Wednesday night, the children queued up for ice cream, and for skates to use at the adjoining ice rink. After all, moguls can’t have all the fun.

-------------------

see toon at top....

A US appeals court has struck down a government policy that banned the broadcasting of profanity, ruling that the rule is unconstitutional.

The policy was drawn up in 2004 and meant that broadcasters could be fined if indecent words went on air.

The court said the FCC's (Federal Communications Commission) policy had a "chilling effect" on broadcasters.

The many media outlets that challenged the rule said that they were satisfied with the ruling.

The court said banning all "patently offensive" references to sex, sexual organs and excretion without a clear definition of what is considered offensive, effectively chills speech and creates an atmosphere of fear among America's broadcasters.

FCC commissioner Michael Copps called the court's decision "anti-family" and said the commission would "clarify and strengthen its indecency framework".

----------------------------

from wikipedia

On November 14, 2008, Barack Obama appointed Susan P. Crawford and Kevin Werbach to lead the review of the FCC. The review team will review the commission to aid the new administration in its planning decisions.[4] The team "will ensure that senior appointees have the information necessary to complete the confirmation process, lead their departments, and begin implementing signature policy initiatives immediately after they are sworn in."[5]

---------------------

Gus: swearing is a spice of life... too much of it can make annoying media, not enough would be unreal.

From the BBC

As people find new ways to access news in a post-print world, so the demands on those that deliver it is changing, says Andrew Marr, and this new media age could bring with it a better, more rigorous kind of journalism.

The winds of media revolution are gusting fiercely.

In the past few days we have the Guardian's estimate of a near 90% drop in the online readership of its rival, the Times, since the pay wall went up; and Amazon's announcement that sales of digital books for its e-reader Kindle are outstripping hardback books in the US, at the rate of 143 e-books for every 100 hardbacks over the past three months.

I just wanted to follow up my earlier "conversion confession" on this site.

These two whirling straws were given perfect context at a seminar on Tuesday by John Warnock, co-founder of Adobe and a fabled figure in the Silicon Valley story. Speaking at Nottingham University's computer science school, he predicted a cascade of new iPad-like tablets in many sizes arriving by the end of this year, producing turmoil for cinemas (which will mostly go), bookshops (ditto), and broadcasters.

Hollywood now gets just 15% of its revenue from cinema releases, while newspaper publishers find their traditional strengths - expensive printing plants and sophisticated distribution chains - have become merely costs.

Book publishers ask what they bring to the new party. A public has emerged which doesn't watch traditional sequential television, or even understands the notion of "channels".

I've just come back from Washington where I was doing interviews with grandee journalists and historians in the wood-panelled magnificence of the city's National Press Club.

But downstairs, in the coffee bar, everyone seemed to reading on iPads and phones. Getting into the lift and returning to street level felt like time-travelling, from the Age of the Press, to tablet-world.

------------------------

Here, on Your Democracy, we try not some much at bringing the news, which we get from a variety of sources and our own deep throats, as to bring the reality behind the "news". Sure we twist it with a bit of crummy satire, but by and large our interpretation of the news and of events is far more accurate than, say, a Fox network. Yet an organisation like Fox reaches far more people who are bamboozled by the crap that is dished to them because it snuggly fits in their discriminatory, racist, petty and selfish brain — and it appears on the brainwashing box with hype. We cannot compete with this jam for dorks... We do not exist.

We try hard though to remove the gristle from the meat. Fox only serves the greasy bits and add transfat to these. Some people love it, especially when they get greasy fries with that. Huuum... Fox Nuz!... see toon at top...

The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has said he is prepared to consider a review of the ABC's charter if the government is re-elected, amid accusations the broadcaster has drifted beyond its core purpose.

The guiding document for the public broadcaster has not been changed since the ABC became a corporation in 1983. Some commercial rivals have complained that the ABC overstepped the charter by expanding into rolling television news, regional news websites and online opinion.

A review of the charter would renew debate over the broadcaster's role and whether it complies with its current obligations.

The charter requires the ABC to contribute to a sense of national identity, broadcast Australian content abroad and include educational programming.

It must also take account of ''the broadcasting services provided by the commercial and community sectors'', a clause Sky News says is breached by the new 24-hour current affairs channel ABC News 24.

Senator Conroy said a review of the charter was ''a reasonable suggestion … I'm not committing to it but I'm prepared to talk about it with my colleagues.''

----------------------

Meanwhile at media watch on ABC News 24...

I Quote: (Apologies for name spelling mistakes - I am a Jones & Smith person)

"The guiding document for the public broadcaster has not been changed since the ABC became a corporation in 1983. Some commercial rivals have complained that the ABC overstepped the charter by expanding into rolling television news, regional news websites and online opinion.

A review of the charter would renew debate over the broadcaster's role and whether it complies with its current obligations."

There were many years of “crocodile tears” by the Corporations about the supposed bias of the ABC which they called "Auntie" and lampooned its independence continuously. Likewise there have been, since the election of Labor these compulsive critics have been strangely silent.  

IMHO the ABC bias towards the Corporation’s Liberal Party was never more evident than when Murdoch and his ABC “opinionator” journalists including Chris Eurlman; Heather Hewitt; Fran Kelly; Barry Cassidy and some other “guests” like Board member Elbreckson who also writes for the Murdochracy.

“Fair crack of the sauce-bottle” - how can they even be considered as balanced in their “opinions” when they write for the Murdoch Empire? And I assume, are paid for it? If not, it is an act of hatred of the Labor Politicians and their supporters.

I would be very pleased IF these people, in fact every single member of the ABC, irrespective of whatever service they are employed in, were to honor the balanced and truthful news reports for all of the Australian people who, supposedly, are their contracted employers.

It is now well known - not often on the Corporation’s radar - that the Howard “New Order” seriously changed the controlling body and staff of the ABC (as he did with almost all of the Public Service) to the point where Quentin Dempster was the ONLY non-conservative on the Board which was arrogantly noted by Howard.

Another Howard “New Order” legacy of hollow US democracy – but as his history reveals, hiding behind the “bullies” in any society is the escape of a physical coward and sharpens the wish to be superior?

I consider the offer of Steven Conroy should be appreciated by those similar outlets who cannot compete for a slice of the Corporation’s cost-effected private enterprise with a Government funded Corporation that continually pushes the policies of the same side of parliament.

God Bless Australia and bring back the “Auntie” that I personally respected.  NE OUBLIE.