Welcome to Saturday, and may the Victorian Hoydenizens have the election result you desire today. Among notable events on this day in history, Helen Clark became the first elected female PM in New Zealand, the first human-manufactured object reached the surface of Mars (the crashing Mars 2 descent module), the first extrasolar planetary atmosphere was detected, and Harvey Milk was assassinated. It’s also the birthday of Kathryn Bigelow, first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director; and the anniversary of the death of Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer.
This week’s damp little Asian small-clawed otter pup is via Zooborns!
Please feel free to use this thread to natter about anything your heart desires. Is there anything great happening in your life? Anything you want to get off your chest? Reading a good book (or a bad one)? Anything in the news that you’d like to discuss? What have you created lately? Commiserations, felicitations, temptations, contemplations, speculations?
I am sad there’s no-one from the eminently sensible Sex Party standing in my electorate, upper or lower house. Still, considering my region is responsible for the one DLP member, who runs mostly on a platform of “protect unborn babies from evil wimmens”, I can see why we weren’t top priority…
I’m sure we’ve all seen the fact that Rapunzel was called “Tangled”, in order to attract the boys, apparently. I’m in Singapore at the moment, and just saw an ad for it. Here it’s called “Rapunzel: A Tangled Fairytale”. Maybe they think people here are okay with watching it under it’s original name? ;D
I’m fighting with essays at the moment. I’ve got to the point where I need to turn a rough draft into a decent piece of writing, which is the bit I hate.
In other news, I’m really excited about the student protests going on around the UK at the moment. Partly because the alterative is just to be scared about what the cuts will do to our education system.
Well, I didn’t paint my daughter’s bedroom yesterday after all, because she hadn’t quite cleared it out enough. This morning I shall be mostly hoovering and painting.
Had a nice evening on the harbour last night – especially since we got away early before all the party-hearty types got revved up.
Commiserations to the Victorians on the Lib/Nats winning so decisively. It would have been nice to see a larger swing to the Greens.
@Julie, re Tangled: I know some performers who do a show called Princess Cabaret, starring all the Disney Princesses, with Tinkerbell playing the piano and occasionally getting snobbed because she isn’t actually a princess. I wonder what they might make of Rapunzel? Although, like Mulan, she’s not a princess per se, so maybe she wouldn’t make the cast either.
I watched the trailers online for Tangled: it actually looks like a lot of fun, and the chap doesn’t seem to overshadow her, although the horse might just be upstaging them both.
The Victorian election result looks depressing, so here’s a video of a baby otter playing to cheer you up … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJjeG4ZFn6E
The local ABC station here in Canberra had a poll of the best ever Australian songs. For the last 8 weekdays, they have been counting down the most popular 10.
Says quite a bit about the ABC’s demographic, methinks.
10. It’s Because I Love You (Masters’ Apprentices)
9. And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle)
8. The Real Thing (Russell Morris)
7. I Was Only 19 (Redgum)
6. Evie Parts 1 2 and 3 (Stevie Wright)
5. Eagle Rock (Daddy Cool)
4. Khe Sanh (Cold Chisel)
3. Friday on My Mind (Easybeats) – this my my pick as there’s nothing more quintessentially Australian than waiting for Friday to come around.
The top 2 songs will be revealed this week. (Please don’t let them be by Skyhooks or Sherbet). Surely the top 2 songs will feature women.
My challenge to you is to name the top 10 Australian songs recorded by women (solo or lead singer)
I worked at the Victorian election and all I got was this lousy Liberal government and 200 informal votes illustrated with penises.
… and continuing the coundown
2. Sounds of Then (GANGgajang)
@Peta, I wish my head was in a music-space this week! It’s just not, sorry.
Salon Wikileaks roundup:
I might just pinch that idea of Peta’s for a post though…
And *drumroll* number 1 is ……
Throw Your Arms Around Me (Hunters & Collectors)
20 years ago this song was rated highly for a few years by TripleJ listeners on the Top (Hot?) 100.
I just have to have a little rave to you all. Just came home from this show, at BATS, the local fringe theatre venue. Any hoydens in NZ must do their very best to get to it. The two honours students I supervised this year were the director and producer, and I felt gushingly maternal. Ten young kiwi women doing a devised cabaret-style piece about their take on feminism – how unutterably fabulous is that? So great that this sort of work is being done and being seen, and it was fresh and funny and generous, and they’re all getting up there and saying what they have to say, and it warms my cockles no end.