The walls of the globe

Well, this is eye-opening.

via here

Like a boss

Your holiday cheer is fed by Elf slaves

This pretty much sums up my thoughts on Christmas.

via Clem

Trifle VS Pudding: The Outcome

The battle has been fought. The plates have been scraped. The bottles have been emptied. Trifle VS Pudding has occurred.

Here's the rundown:

Mains:
Rolled roast loin of pork, stuffed with apple
Turkey roast with a red wine reduction

Sides:
Honey glazed carrots
Butter beans
Mashed potato
Cumin roasted sweet potato
Cos lettuce & spinach salad (home-grown, I might add)

And, of course, dessert:
Steve's trifle, which apparently took him three hours to prepare. I tend to believe him, since the last hour actually happened in my kitchen, as he used every saucepan in the house.
And my Christmas pudding. It was a Nigella recipe, so the amount of alcohol it contained could have floored a Russian General. And it took two hours of preparation, four hours of cooking, three days of maturing and another two hours of cooking on the night.

I've included a picture of the trifle, as it was goddamn amazing when you looked at it. It had about eight layers, and was stunningly constructed.

My pudding, whilst lacking the beauty of Steve's creation, had the pungent smell of alcohol-soaked fruit, with the taste of rich molasses and brandy custard. Topping it all off was the vodka-flambe, which is why....

PUDDING WINS!

Yes, the Christmas Pudding won out this year!

Aside from the hilarious banter, generous sloshings of wine and that fucking gigantic trifle, my favourite part of this battle has to be the story of the trifle bowl. Since Steve didn't have a trifle bowl at home, he ventured out on his lunch break to purchase one from David Jones in the city (where else?). Spotting the last one on the shelf, he reached up to take it, and heard a sad sigh from directly behind. He turned around to see our recently dumped Premier John Brumby, with a little sad look on his face as someone else claimed the last trifle bowl. So what does Steve do? Quickly scuttles off with his trifle bowl. I think that one moment pretty much sums up how sad Brumby's life is right now.

Gawd bless America

Well now, this looks like a little bit of awesome.

Inception Coke

This Christmas, remember that your caffeinated drink is not real.

Quaid gone nuts

Awesome. Randy Quaid has gone full-on bat-shit crazy.

He and his wife are living in their car, skipping bail, stealing from hotels and convinced that a secret conspiracy of Hollywood organised killings is closing in on them.

This shit writes itself.

Don Hertzfeldt has returned

The amazing Don Hertzfeldt has returned! Praise be Jebus!

The Shop-Vac song

This makes me happy. Both visually and audibly.

Lost crazy dog is crazy

This lost dog poster totally kicks ass. In fact, it beats all of the previous contenders hands-down.

via Reddit

Google body browser

Oh noes! Google is in ur bodys! Making their maps!

Wikileaks and new media

For the past week, I've refrained from putting together any in-depth thoughts, coverage or analysis of the Wikileaks story.

Mostly this is because every media outlet on the globe is furiously trying to squeeze the latest story out of the immense dump of information provided, feverishing up-skilling their aging journalists on this new-fangled invention called 'the Internet'. Here's a tip - Wikileaks, Wikipedia, Anonymous = not all the same thing.

Anyway, instead of reading my rants (of which I can rattle out at length, if you'd rather), go read Ben Eltham's overview of the situation that has been created. He provides a very good analysis of what this whole affair could mean for true freedom of speech and the role of non-traditional media publishing:

It is interesting that Assange himself justifies the cable releases by pointing to the lies of governments to their own people in justifying wars, writing, “there is nothing more wrong than a government lying to its people about [just] wars, then asking these same citizens to put their lives and their taxes on the line for those lies.”

As The Guardian’s John Naughton has pointed out, there is a delicious irony to the relatively indiscriminate way in which Wikileaks has attacked the sacred cows of the left and the right. It was Wikileaks, remember, that published the hacked emails of UK climate researchers — leaks which commentators and politicians on the right were happy to seize upon as incontrovertible evidence of a giant cover-up in climate science.

Now that Wikileaks has turned the blowtorch on the cherished organs of US national security, those same right wing commentators are calling for punitive action to shut down the organisation.

Elsewhere, check out Jonathan Holme's analysis of the media treatment of the Wikileaks cables, in particular the Australian's refusal to release cables originally given exclusively to them.

And, if you are so inclined, you can read the complete cables that were finally released following pressure such as the above ABC article.

Or, just go back to panicking about Christmas presents and what to do with Grandma on Boxing Day, safe in the knowledge that the US Government is using our own elected politicians to spy on us, our former Prime Minister is a control freak, diplomats say awful things about world leaders, and Americans supported state-sponsored torture in Iraq.

But then, we already knew that.

Just none of the 'real' media reported.

Google Docs animation

Stop-motion animation.
Using nothing but Google Docs.
Woah.

WANT!

I require this T-shirt.

In fact, I want everything on this list of awesome data-vis geek present ideas from Information Aesthetics.

Sex. In. Space!

Sooo... this study into sex, reproduction and pregnancy in space has a number of recommendations for the inevitable naughty business that will go on when we launch long-term missions into the big black void.

Amongst them, that a manned mission to Mars should use two ships - one for the men, and one for the women. That way they won't be tempted to get it on.

Riiiiiiight...

I love legitimate scientific studies.

Somewhat related - this video from the History channel on NASA's position on their astronauts getting down and dirty in orbit.

Green Patriot Posters

Green Patriot Posters is a book of environmental posters from a range of different artists.

Want.

via GOOD

Sausage dog shitting board game, anyone?

Sooo.... it's a kids board game.
Where you feed a Dachshund some play-doh.
Then you take turns pumping the handle.
Until it shits.
And then... ooooooh it's German.
That's ok then.

Ludlam on Wikileaks

My marvelously awesome friend and former boss Senator Ludlam has written a rather awesome piece on The Drum about the Wikileaks debacle:

Prime Minister Gillard's stunning miscalculation in attacking the WikiLeaks organisation are likely to haunt her. Let us be completely clear. Julian Assange didn't leak anything. The organisation of which he is a part received classified material from a source within the US military, which it is now making available to the world's media organisations, who in turn are gorging themselves senseless on it. If WikiLeaks has committed a crime, then so have the publishers of the New York Times, the Guardian, and our Fairfax press.

Full article here

Skydiving with Google Earth

These guys are now my most favouritest people in the entire world.

24 hours in Melbourne

This is Fernando Volken Togni's interpretation of 24 hours in Melbourne. I'd say he's pretty accurate, except for the shark. And the lobster.

Tableau physical e-mail

This is brilliant. Tableau is an art project that attempts to de-digitise the digital world of email, photo-sharing and messaging.

Put a message into the drawer, close it, and the Tableau scans it and sends it to your friend on Twitter.

Your friend sends you a picture. You open the drawer and there they are, physically printed out and waiting for you.

It's like something out of a C.S. Lewis novel, bringing back the magic and anticipation of receiving and sending real mail, but in a digital world.

Want one.

via Portable

Social media on the news

This is exactly how I feel everytime I turn on Sky News these days.

Epic interactive music video

Epic Japanese hipster band interactive online video is epic.

Seriously, this kinda puts the Arcade Fire Google Maps project to shame.

Event: Carteret Atoll

This week, our friends over at the Australian Conservation Foundation are hosting an event, and it's one we'd highly recommend you check out!

Carteret Atoll
From the Carteret Atoll to Cancun, a report-back by Ursula Rakova from Tulele Peisa

The Carteret Islands, about 80 kilometres from mainland Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, have communities that live a low-carbon lifestyle and yet are bearing the full force of climate change. Coral atolls are dynamic geological features, and the Carteret atoll has been severely eroding and submerging steadily in the last few decades. Severe storms, wave surges and other extreme weather events consistent with climate change prediction are making the atoll inhabitable.

The Elders of the Carterets do not want to see their people scattered and become marginalised. They want to see a systematic transition for the community to maintain the integrity of family units and their culture. They hope to protect their unique identity and to remain self-reliant as a proud people, and so have set up an organisation called Tulele Peisa which means “sailing the winds on our own” in the local Halia language.

Ursula Rakova was recently in Cancun for the UNFCCC COP16 climate meeting, working with the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice to speak for her atoll community who have already suffered the blunt end of climate change.

Check out the video above (or here) to see Ursula interviewed whilst in Cancun, and come along to the event to hear from her in person!

• When: 6pm, Wednesday 15th December
• Where: Room 1105, Level 11, Victoria University, 300 Flinders St, Melbourne
• Cost: Gold coin donation
• RSVP here

First published on Oxfam Blogs

Delivering your #tweetbottle messages

Yesterday, our team took your messages directly to the COP16 climate negotiations currently underway in Cancun, Mexico.

We asked you to send us your messages of climate action, urgency and hope and the response we received was great! We picked out some of the most powerful messages, printed them up on huge banners and made damn sure they couldn't be missed out the front of the conference centre!

Here's some of your messages that we delivered to officials, negotiators and attendees of the Cancun conference:

• Don't let #COP16 be another cop out
  @Paddy__C - Australia
• Fluctuating seasons are hurting the world's poorest
  @mriceguy - New Zealand
• Just say Yes to a Green Fund!
  @melontherock - Indonesia
• Lead the world by example
  @simone - Australia
• #Climate justice for the world's poorest: ACT NOW
  @CyG_orgs - USA
• Come on negotiators... pull your fingers out!
  @iamabstar - UK
• Riches ou pauvres, nous devons tous travailler ensemble si nous voulons survivre sur Terre.
  (Rich or poor, we must all work together if we want to survive on Earth.)
  @arbitraryword - France
• ¡A sembrar el cambio en Cancún! (Sow the seeds of change in Cancun!)
  @emiliacop16 - Mexico
• Prenez vos responsabilités et agissez ! (Take your responsibilities and act!)
  Mathieu Angelo - Quebec, Canada
• Kleine boeren zijn de oplossing (Small-hold farmers are the solution)
  Mart Van den Abbeele - Netherlands

But this doesn't mean your messages should stop! Keep sending in your #tweetbottle messages, and we'll ensure your voice is heard by those tasked with making the decisions in Cancun.

Our Climate Tracker Phil Ireland will also be hand delivering a number of the Australian messages from this global campaign, directly to the Australian government climate delegation. Stay tuned!

• Read through some of the climate messages from your fellow Australians on our blog
• Have a look at some of the photos from our demonstration.
• Check out the global response to our call on Twitter

First published on Oxfam Blogs

Dirk Gently TV

Oh my god this is gonna be awesome. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - coming soon to BBC TV.

via Elliott.

2010: Trifle VS Pudding

That's right, people. It's been one whole year since the epic meat battle that saw Steve's glazed ham size up against Tim's roast turkey. Sure, in the end it was a draw, but that's all the more reason we have to have this rematch.

In 2010, there can be only one dessert. Two dishes enter, two (empty ones) leave. But only one can be crowned as winner.
Get set for the ultimate in third course cage matches.... TRIFLE VS PUDDING.

Take part in true history in the making as Steve's layered creation sizes up against Tim's ball of brown stuff and fruit. Who will take the crown? Hot or cold dessert? The tension will be UNBEARABLE!

As with the last arena spectacular, if you're lucky enough to receive an invite, we'll see you there. The rest of you, sit back and await our in-depth coverage of the results!

Disaster flash mob

A rather awesome five minute rundown of a fictional flash mob situation.
Yes, it has a point.

via BB

Latest on Tanksalot

From our recent trip to WA, the wonders of Bunbury include A Fez of the Heart.

Pure gold, and straight into the Tanks A Lot Hall of Fame.

Open letter: To Julia Gillard, re Julian Assange

Today, I joined Jeff Sparrow and a huge list of other Australians in an open letter to Prime Minister Julia Gillard about the Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, and his treatment as an Australian citizen.

Dear Prime Minister,

We note with concern the increasingly violent rhetoric directed towards Julian Assange of WikiLeaks.

“We should treat Mr Assange the same way as other high-value terrorist targets: Kill him,” writes conservative columnist Jeffrey T Kuhner in the Washington Times.

William Kristol, former chief of staff to vice president Dan Quayle, asks, “Why can’t we use our various assets to harass, snatch or neutralize Julian Assange and his collaborators, wherever they are?”

“Why isn’t Julian Assange dead?” writes the prominent US pundit Jonah Goldberg.

“The CIA should have already killed Julian Assange,” says John Hawkins on the Right Wing News site.

Sarah Palin, a likely presidential candidate, compares Assange to an Al Qaeda leader; Rick Santorum, former Pennsylvania senator and potential presidential contender, accuses Assange of “terrorism”.

And so on and so forth.

Such calls cannot be dismissed as bluster. Over the last decade, we have seen the normalisation of extrajudicial measures once unthinkable, from ‘extraordinary rendition’ (kidnapping) to ‘enhanced interrogation’ (torture).

In that context, we now have grave concerns for Mr Assange’s wellbeing.

Irrespective of the political controversies surrounding WikiLeaks, Mr Assange remains entitled to conduct his affairs in safety, and to receive procedural fairness in any legal proceedings against him.

As is well known, Mr Assange is an Australian citizen.

We therefore call upon you to condemn, on behalf of the Australian Government, calls for physical harm to be inflicted upon Mr Assange, and to state publicly that you will ensure Mr Assange receives the rights and protections to which he is entitled, irrespective of whether the unlawful threats against him come from individuals or states.

We urge you to confirm publicly Australia’s commitment to freedom of political communication; to refrain from cancelling Mr Assange's passport, in the absence of clear proof that such a step is warranted; to provide assistance and advocacy to Mr Assange; and do everything in your power to ensure that any legal proceedings taken against him comply fully with the principles of law and procedural fairness.

A statement by you to this effect should not be controversial – it is a simple commitment to democratic principles and the rule of law.

We believe this case represents something of a watershed, with implications that extend beyond Mr Assange and WikiLeaks. In many parts of the globe, death threats routinely silence those who would publish or disseminate controversial material. If these incitements to violence against Mr Assange, a recipient of Amnesty International’s Media Award, are allowed to stand, a disturbing new precedent will have been established in the English-speaking world.

In this crucial time, a strong statement by you and your Government can make an important difference.

We look forward to your response.

Dr Jeff Sparrow, author and editor
Lizzie O’Shea, Social Justice Lawyer, Maurice Blackburn
Professor Noam Chomsky, writer and academic
Antony Loewenstein, journalist and author
Mungo MacCallum, journalist and writer
Professor Peter Singer, author and academic
Adam Bandt, MP
Senator Bob Brown
Senator Scott Ludlam
Julian Burnside QC, barrister
Jeff Lawrence, Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions
Professor Raimond Gaita, author and academic
Rob Stary, lawyer
Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Lance Collins, Australian Intelligence Corps, writer
The Hon Alastair Nicholson AO RFD QC
Brian Walters SC, barrister
Professor Larissa Behrendt, academic
Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees, academic, Sydney Peace Foundation
Mary Kostakidis, Chair, Sydney Peace Foundation
Professor Wendy Bacon, journalist
Christos Tsiolkas, author
James Bradley, author and journalist
Julian Morrow, comedian and television producer
Louise Swinn, publisher
Helen Garner, novelist
Professor Dennis Altman, writer and academic
Dr Leslie Cannold, author, ethicist, commentator
John Birmingham, writer
Guy Rundle, writer
Alex Miller, writer
Sophie Cunningham, editor and author
Castan Centre for Human Rights Law
Professor Judith Brett, author and academic
Stephen Keim SC, President of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights
Phil Lynch, Executive Director, Human Rights Law Resource Centre
Sylvia Hale, MLC
Sophie Black, editor
David Ritter, lawyer and historian
Dr Scott Burchill, writer and academic
Dr Mark Davis, author and academic
Henry Rosenbloom, publisher
Ben Naparstek, editor
Chris Feik, editor
Louise Swinn, publisher
Stephen Warne, barrister
Dr John Dwyer QC
Hilary McPhee, writer, publisher
Joan Dwyer OAM
Greg Barns, barrister
James Button, journalist
Owen Richardson, critic
Michelle Griffin, editor
John Timlin, literary Agent & producer
Ann Cunningham, lawyer and publisher
Alison Croggon, author, critic
Daniel Keene, playwright
Dr Nick Shimmin, editor/writer
Bill O'Shea, lawyer, former President, Law Institute of Victoria
Dianne Otto, Professor of Law, Melbourne Law School
Professor Frank Hutchinson,Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS), University of Sydney
Anthony Georgeff, editor
Max Gillies, actor
Shane Maloney, writer
Louis Armand, author and publisher
Jenna Price, academic and journalist
Tanja Kovac, National Cooordinator EMILY's List Australia
Dr Russell Grigg, academic
Dr Justin Clemens, writer and academic
Susan Morairty, Lawyer
David Hirsch, Barrister
Cr Anne O’Shea
Kathryn Crosby, Candidates Online
Dr Robert Sparrow, academic
Jennifer Mills, author
Foong Ling Kong, editor
Tim Norton, Online Campaigns Co-ordinator, Oxfam Australia
Elisabeth Wynhausen, writer
Ben Slade, Lawyer
Nikki Anderson, publisher
Dan Cass
Professor Diane Bell, author and academic
Dr Philipa Rothfield, academic
Gary Cazalet, academic
Dr David Coady, academic
Dr Matthew Sharpe, writer and academic
Dr Tamas Pataki, writer and academic
Miska Mandic
Associate Professor Jake Lynch, academic
Professor Simon During, academic
Michael Brull, writer
Dr Geoff Boucher, academic
Jacinda Woodhead, writer and editor
Dr Rjurik Davidson, writer and editor
Mic Looby, writer
Jane Gleeson-White, writer and editor
Alex Skutenko, editor
Associate Professor John Collins, academic
Professor Philip Pettit, academic
Dr Christopher Scanlon, writer and academic
Dr Lawrie Zion, journalist
Johannes Jakob, editor
Sunili Govinnage, lawyer
Michael Bates, lawyer
Bridget Maidment, editor
Bryce Ives, theatre director
Sarah Darmody, writer
Jill Sparrow, writer
Lyn Bender, psychologist
Meredith Rose, editor
Dr Ellie Rennie, President, Engage Media
Ryan Paine, editor
Simon Cooper, editor
Chris Haan, lawyer
Carmela Baranowska, journalist.
Clinton Ellicott, publisher
Dr Charles Richardson, writer and academic
Phillip Frazer, publisher
Geoff Lemon, journalist
Jaya Savige, poet and editor
Johannes Jakob, editor
Kate Bree Geyer; journalist
Chay-Ya Clancy, performer
Lisa Greenaway, editor, writer
Chris Kennett - screenwriter, journalist
Kasey Edwards, author
Dr. Janine Little, academic
Dr Andrew Milner, writer and academic
Patricia Cornelius, writer
Elisa Berg, publisher
Lily Keil, editor
Jenny Sinclair
Roselina Rose
Stephen Luntz
PM Newton
Bryan Cooke
Kristen Obaid
Ryan Haldane-Underwood
Patrick Gardner
Robert Sinnerbrink
Kathryn Millist
Anne Coombs
Karen Pickering
Sarah Mizrahi
Suzanne Ingleton
Jessica Crouch
Michael Ingleton
Matt Griffin
Jane Allen
Tom Curtis
John Connell
David Garland
Stuart Hall
Meredith Tucker-Evans
Phil Perkins
Alexandra Adsett
Tom Doig, editor
Beth Jackson
Peter Mattessi
Robert Sinnerbrink
Greg Black
Paul Ashton
Sigi Jottkandt
Kym Connell, lawyer
Silma Ihram
Nicole Papaleo, lawyer
Melissa Forbes
Matthew Ryan
Ben Gook
Daniel East
Bridget Ikin
Lisa O'Connell
Melissa Cranenburgh
John Bryson
Michael Farrell
Melissa Reeves
Dr Emma Cox
Michael Green
Margherita Tracanelli
David Carlin, writer
Bridget McDonnell
Geoff Page, writer
Rebecca Interdonato
Roxane Ludbrook-Ingleton
Stefan Caramia
Ash Plummer

Cancun: Message in a bottle

SOS: calling all supporters! As we move into the second week of the UN climate summit, we need you to help us send a message of urgency to government representatives meeting in Cancún, Mexico, including Australia’s own Minister for Climate Change, Greg Combet.

For two days starting today Oxfam is taking messages from tweeps, facebookers, & bloggers around the world, which we'll then print and place into a giant inflatable bottle that will be displayed outside the conference centre where the negotiations are being held. Our UN Climate Tracker Phil Ireland – who blogs daily from the meeting – will also take the messages direct to the Australian government delegation.

This is your opportunity to leave your mark on negotiations -- in 140 characters or less.

How do I take part?
It's easy. If you’re on twitter just update your status and make sure your use the #tweetbottle hashtag, that way we'll know when your tweet has come through. Otherwise, simply leave your message in the comment box below (but please try keep to 140 characters or less).

What message should I send?
With experts stating that emissions needs to peak within the next decade, and with many of the world's poorest communities already suffering the effects, climate change is pressing issue -- so a tweet with some urgency would be best. You might also want to consider who your message could be directed to (using the @ function) or what other hashtags you could use alongside #tweetbottle.

You might like to send a message to Prime Minister Julia Gillard, asking her to support the implementation of a global climate fund:

@JuliaGillard - please support the creation of a global climate fund at the #Cancun climate talks. #tweetbottle

Or maybe you'd like to direct your message to Climate Change Minister Greg Combet:

Greg Combet should know the Australian public expect real action on climate change. We should lead the world by example. #tweetbottle

Or perhaps send your thoughts to all the delegates currently in Cancun:

To the #Cancun negotiators: don't let #COP16 be another missed opportunity #tweetbottle

But really, we'd like you to use your own message - it will be all the more powerful that way!

How will you use my message?
We'll print a selection of the best messages we receive onto boards, which we’ll then place in our large inflatable bottle. And then we'll put the bottle outside the conference centre - right in front of where government delegations will be. UN Climate Tracker Phil will also hand over a selection of the messages to the Australian government delegation.

So c'mon - put your message in the bottle and ensure your voice is heard in Cancún!

First published on Oxfam Blogs

The Mozilla mobile

I think all I have to say is WANT.

The time traveller's calendar

Ok - epic want. Right now. Want. Want.

The time traveller's calendar - documenting (in sequential order) all the important dates from the great time-travelling movies.

4th amendment wear

Brilliant!
If I ever need to visit the USA, I'm doing it whilst wearing one of these shirts.

Awesome notebooks are awesome

As if Moleskin couldn't get any cooler, now they've released a stop-motion animation. Cool.

Even though I already own about 15 Moleskin pads in their various forms... Want. More.

via Portable

Biker Avery

Sup, homes? I's just chillin' on my Uncle's ride.

Shameless billboard idea stealing

Hah! I forgot to put this up before.

Days before the Victorian state election, I noticed the ALP had pasted this billboard onto the side of the former ETU building in Carlton, with the phrase "This time, we're voting Labor."

The same billboard that, only a week earlier, had sported the Greens' federal campaign billboard.

The Greens - whose slogan during the campaign had been a very successful "This time, I'm voting Greens."

Cheeky Labor.

Victoria 2010

Well, this is embarassing, but what the hell. Here's an article I wrote for the Australian Greens magazine. Before the election. And before the Greens/Liberal preference deal (or lack thereof) was announced. In fact, it went to print two days before that, making it incorrect and irrelevant. I like publishing schedules.

Melbourne made history in August by electing its first Greens MP to Federal parliament, and while the ramifications of having a Greens member in the House of Representatives bodes well for the people of inner Melbourne, the upcoming Victorian state election also holds huge promise for further expansion of the Greens’ existing three seats in the State upper house.

There are several inner-Melbourne electorates in which the Liberals have decided to not run candidates. As a result the two-party preferred swing from Labor to the Greens is expected to be as high as 8-9% in these seats. There is a strong chance of the Greens winning in the electorates of Melbourne, Brunswick, Richmond and Northcote with possibilities in many other seats.

These seats are largely comprised of traditional Greens supporters, but the win will not come without a fight. Still of huge importance to the voting intentions of Victorians is the need for immediate action on climate change. Polling data released by Crikey in October showed a large number of inner city residents considered climate change to be of high importance to the well-being of Victoria in general.

The Victorian Government were quick to push through a Bill tackling the climate issue before the official start of the campaign, avoiding the uncomfortable association with their Federal counterparts. The Bill, passed in the Legislative Council with the support of both Liberal and Greens members, sets a 20 percent emissions reduction based upon 2000 levels by 2020 and includes a generous feed in tariff for large scale solar thermal power plants.

However, the ALP are not likely to dodge the other key issues for voters in this election: public transport and education. With the ongoing problems associated with Melbourne’s Myki ticketing system and the recent re-tendering of public transport systems, Labor has failed to quell the public’s rising distrust and anger surrounding all things train, tram and bus.

The fury of building work being undertaken at every school across the country with the Federal Government’s ‘Building the Education Revolution’ has surely resulted in many parents impressed that their children will have a new gym, music class or basketball court. This may bode well for any ALP state government - it’s always easier to connect to tangible bricks and mortar spending in key areas like education, and this was on a monumental scale. However, the ever spiraling failure of the MySchool website may take the shine off this bubble of success for the ALP.

With the possibility of a hung parliament here in Victoria, the role of the Greens in any future state parliament is certain to have more importance than ever. The experiences of other Greens coalition state governments around Australia (and the world) have broken the ground for Greens in government and proved that the right-wing rallying cry of the ‘reckless Greens’ is unfounded.

Whatever the outcome, it is clear that Labor is set to lose a significant number of seats at this election. In the short amount of time between Federal and state elections, it is unlikely that any actions by the Greens federally will drastically change the intentions of Victorians at the ballot box, but certainly all eyes in Melbourne will be on our newly elected MP Adam Bandt to set the tone.

Back to the Future cake

OMG WHY DOES NO-ONE TELL ME ABOUT THESE THINGS!?!?

My favourite food TV show made a cake for my favourite movie!

Check it - the Ace of Cakes Back to the Future DeLorean cake.

So much awesome.

via Daily What

Do your neighbours support gay marriage?

It's not often I'm impressed with news.com.au but I do like this little interactive element they've released. Type in your postcode and you can see the general support for gay marriage within your electorate, alongside your local MP's statement on the matter.

Considering the fact that every MP agreed to go back to their electorate and judge the people's desire on marriage equality, it's a very clear indication that Australia is in support of gay marriage. Above is my electorate of Batman.

But don't stop there - contact your MP and let them know your thoughts. Don't let the spectre of 'protecting the institution of marriage' get in the way of ensuring that the current apartheid of equality based on sexuality is finally eradicated.