I wasn't pleased to see the Dragons humbled by the Dogs today, but not totally surprised either. Our defence is very weak this year and consequently good sides are creaming us. I didn't think the Roosters were that good in demolishing us 2 weeks ago.
The attack is very promising and while I feel Benji Marshall has quite a bit to prove after his last 2 seasons, if he gets serious that attack will have enormous potential. Unfortunately, the ability to score points matters little if your forwards can't get you upfield into scoring areas or if your defence consistently leaks 20-30 points a game! This appears to be our problem currently.
I was happy to see Steve Price retained for this year as I felt he hadn't been given much of a chance with a team on the slide after winning the premiership in 2010. Unfortunately the claims about maintaining the culture established before he took over have not eventuated. The only pride in defence they are showing is pride in their ability to get set under the goalposts in a hurry so the kicker can convert! I don't think his position is solid and will be surprised if he's still coaching the team next year. Possibly he can join Ricky Stuart in looking for a job. Canberra must already be regretting that decision, they were a team that was considered to have potential! It's one thing to get thumped by Manly, but to have the Warriors put 50 on you?!! Please!
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Thursday, 8 May 2014
New NSW trains
The NSW government announced today that they will be replacing the old intercity trains with new trains. See here and here for details.
As a non-driver who loves public transport, I'm always excited to hear about new trains! Trains are awesome! I rarely use intercity services but with the exception of the Oscar trains serving the routes, the others are old and quite horrible. I find the seats to be uncomfortable and movement inside the carriages is restricted, making getting on and off at peak times difficult.
I love the fact that the government is going to pay for the trains itself, probably getting its own loans for it. Public/private financing is simply a way of keeping government debt off the books and funneling huge amounts of taxpayer money into the hands of lawyers, consultants, financiers and the like. The private institutions have to get a loan anyway and the rates they are charged are higher than what the government would be charged, ensuring that the overall costs will be higher. Also, if the project happens to make money, the private companies will keep it, in the far more common outcome that it doesn't the taxpayer ends up on the hook for it as the infrastructure needs to be finished.
The proposed design for the trains seems OK, double deckers fit the network and 4 seats across the width of the train allows for more width in the seats, which is also fine. I'm not a big fan of the idea of premium seating, the journeys aren't that long.
I would prefer if the trains were built here and feel that surely the Waratahs could be adjusted to suit the purpose better. Why send so much money overseas? Surely it will do more good paying our workers and their families? I do have some sympathy with the government's desire to buy a train off the shelf, we've been ordering new trains for decades in NSW and they constantly come in well after proposed delivery dates and well over budget. New trains take a lot of testing to get right.
As a non-driver who loves public transport, I'm always excited to hear about new trains! Trains are awesome! I rarely use intercity services but with the exception of the Oscar trains serving the routes, the others are old and quite horrible. I find the seats to be uncomfortable and movement inside the carriages is restricted, making getting on and off at peak times difficult.
I love the fact that the government is going to pay for the trains itself, probably getting its own loans for it. Public/private financing is simply a way of keeping government debt off the books and funneling huge amounts of taxpayer money into the hands of lawyers, consultants, financiers and the like. The private institutions have to get a loan anyway and the rates they are charged are higher than what the government would be charged, ensuring that the overall costs will be higher. Also, if the project happens to make money, the private companies will keep it, in the far more common outcome that it doesn't the taxpayer ends up on the hook for it as the infrastructure needs to be finished.
The proposed design for the trains seems OK, double deckers fit the network and 4 seats across the width of the train allows for more width in the seats, which is also fine. I'm not a big fan of the idea of premium seating, the journeys aren't that long.
I would prefer if the trains were built here and feel that surely the Waratahs could be adjusted to suit the purpose better. Why send so much money overseas? Surely it will do more good paying our workers and their families? I do have some sympathy with the government's desire to buy a train off the shelf, we've been ordering new trains for decades in NSW and they constantly come in well after proposed delivery dates and well over budget. New trains take a lot of testing to get right.
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Movie of the Week: The Announcement
Lindsay's Label:7.5/10
This is an absorbing and moving documentary about the famous NBA star Earvin 'Magic' Johnson and his diagnosis with AIDS. It spreads its tentacles beyond the actual announcement to look at Magic's life before and after the announcement and is more of a documentary about him and how being diagnosed with HIV changed his life than it is a film about HIV and HIV related issues. This is a good thing.
Johnson's grace and charm are evident throughout the film, which he narrated, with his family, personal doctor and close personal friends from in and outside of basketball all being interviewed. Unsurprisingly, the film presents a very positive impression of Johnson, who is, in any case, so charismatic that director Nelson George would have found it quite the challenge to make a boring film with this man as his star.
The fact that Johnson was so willing to go public once he was diagnosed amazes me, as most people in 1991 only went public with their diagnosis after they collapsed in hotel lobbies (Rock Hudson) or were hounded by the paparazzi to the point of madness (Freddie Mercury). George takes the time to explain why Johnson has survived when the diagnosis was a death sentence when he received it.
Nelson George succeeds in re-creating the drama and tension of the moment whilst presenting a sympathetic portrayal of how one man learnt to cope with the most feared diagnosis of the age in a very public space. 90 minutes long, the film doesn't overstay its welcome and is strongly recommended, even if you don't know the people involved.
At the time of writing, you could watch the film in its entirety here
The preview is listed below.
This is an absorbing and moving documentary about the famous NBA star Earvin 'Magic' Johnson and his diagnosis with AIDS. It spreads its tentacles beyond the actual announcement to look at Magic's life before and after the announcement and is more of a documentary about him and how being diagnosed with HIV changed his life than it is a film about HIV and HIV related issues. This is a good thing.
Johnson's grace and charm are evident throughout the film, which he narrated, with his family, personal doctor and close personal friends from in and outside of basketball all being interviewed. Unsurprisingly, the film presents a very positive impression of Johnson, who is, in any case, so charismatic that director Nelson George would have found it quite the challenge to make a boring film with this man as his star.
The fact that Johnson was so willing to go public once he was diagnosed amazes me, as most people in 1991 only went public with their diagnosis after they collapsed in hotel lobbies (Rock Hudson) or were hounded by the paparazzi to the point of madness (Freddie Mercury). George takes the time to explain why Johnson has survived when the diagnosis was a death sentence when he received it.
Nelson George succeeds in re-creating the drama and tension of the moment whilst presenting a sympathetic portrayal of how one man learnt to cope with the most feared diagnosis of the age in a very public space. 90 minutes long, the film doesn't overstay its welcome and is strongly recommended, even if you don't know the people involved.
At the time of writing, you could watch the film in its entirety here
The preview is listed below.
Monday, 5 May 2014
Book of the Week: Seven Deadly Sins by David Walsh
Seven Deadly sins is the superb account of David Walsh's long struggle to demonstrate that Lance Armstrong cheated his way to seven Tour de France titles whilst consistently bullying any people who were silly enough to oppose him.
Walsh has been a long time sports journalist for the Sunday Times, who lost a million pounds when Armstrong sued them for libel and won due to Britain's very tough libel laws. The Sunday Times are now in the process of suing Armstrong to get their money back.
The true heroes of this story are the people who stood up for honesty in cycling at great personal cost, as the leadership of professional cycling and the majority of the media had little interest in unearthing the truth. Walsh is excellent at explaining how the lack of enforcement regarding drugs placed great pressure upon cyclists and he presents a balanced view of why it was often difficult for journalists and members of the professional cycling community to seriously challenge the status quo.
He explains how his love of cycling and some of the cyclists led him to soft pedal an Irish cyclist who was taking drugs too. If you have any interest in how Armstrong escaped consequences for so long and how his actions finally caught up with him, this is the book to get. You can find it here at Booktopia.
Walsh has been a long time sports journalist for the Sunday Times, who lost a million pounds when Armstrong sued them for libel and won due to Britain's very tough libel laws. The Sunday Times are now in the process of suing Armstrong to get their money back.
The true heroes of this story are the people who stood up for honesty in cycling at great personal cost, as the leadership of professional cycling and the majority of the media had little interest in unearthing the truth. Walsh is excellent at explaining how the lack of enforcement regarding drugs placed great pressure upon cyclists and he presents a balanced view of why it was often difficult for journalists and members of the professional cycling community to seriously challenge the status quo.
He explains how his love of cycling and some of the cyclists led him to soft pedal an Irish cyclist who was taking drugs too. If you have any interest in how Armstrong escaped consequences for so long and how his actions finally caught up with him, this is the book to get. You can find it here at Booktopia.
Sunday, 4 May 2014
May the 4th Be with You
To celebrate the upcoming release of Episode VII in the Star Wars series, I spent a thoroughly enjoyable day re-watching the original trilogy with Allan McGregor at Event Cinemas George St in their wonderfully comfortable Vmax cinema!
Only $25 a person but as they sold out, they'd have grossed over 10K for the day which isn't a bad return. Watching the films with a sympathetic audience is so much more fun than sticking them in the DVD player for another re-run, clapping and laughing and cheering added a great atmosphere to the viewings, with one brilliant interjection of "Don't do it!" just before Leia kisses Luke on the lips in Empire.
It was, of course, the 'special" edition and while it's now 17 years since I last saw them on the big screen, my overall dislike of the changes remains - which I think is testimony to the fact that the initial barrage of complaints from Star Wars fans wasn't just a beat up. The additions generally slow up the films, and the first 2 in particular are so beautifully paced that there was no need for additions. And in several cases the changes made the storytelling worse, Greedo shooting first still jars, Solo was too smart to allow that, Darth Vader growling "Bring my shuttle!" was a fabulous reflection of how pissed he was that Luke had slipped his clutches.
The celebratory sequence in Jedi is OK, but what was wrong with the original? I don't think the change improved the story and it reduced the personal element that Jedi's original finish emphasised, showing Luke privately burning Vader's body was moving. Using Iain McDermaid to re-record the Emperor sequence in Empire was an excellent decision, it improves the scene and the storytelling. Some of the additions of new visuals in the background work well too, eg the cityscape image when Lando Calrissian is telling the citizens of Cloud City to leave. Overall though, I prefer the original cut by a considerable margin.
I found Palpatine's attempts to seduce Luke to be utterly woeful when compared to the subtle, complex web that he constructed over many years in order to ensnare his father. By the end Palpatine was relying purely on force to keep his empire together, but he'd built his empire through his ability to develop alliances and play politics. In Jedi he rejects his alliances and isn't trying to build any more. Absolute power had corrupted him absolutely and thus these scenes work better with the addition of the prequel trilogy, the weakness of Palpatine's efforts to seduce Luke become a demonstration of how much damage has been done to Palpatine by how he chose to live, rather than a poorly written script that made one question how a character of Vader's strength and power would ever choose to serve this man. The Dark Side has betrayed him too, as he could have been a great and loved Chancellor, instead of this feeble, hate riddled, shell of a man.
Anakin had been moved to save his life once because he saw that he needed him to save his loved ones and because he viewed Palpatine as a good man in a difficult situation, that mask had been blown by Jedi, which meant that the basis of Vader's loyalty was no longer solid. Now that Palpatine was seeking to kill Vader's loved one, it became an easy decision for him to intervene. Too easy for mine, I consider that Vader's saving of his son's life fails as an act of redemption, most people would save their own children, no matter how sick and twisted they are generally. This is a man who killed children and other civilians for fun, and who had proceeded to spend decades with minimal respect for life, he killed on whims. Does saving one life, that of his only son to boot, truly balance the scales for him?
Speaking of Star Wars, I saw a totally hilarious Harry Potter v Star Wars mock battle on YouTube the other day, made by 2 Adelaide brothers, it's brilliant! Hope you enjoy it!
Only $25 a person but as they sold out, they'd have grossed over 10K for the day which isn't a bad return. Watching the films with a sympathetic audience is so much more fun than sticking them in the DVD player for another re-run, clapping and laughing and cheering added a great atmosphere to the viewings, with one brilliant interjection of "Don't do it!" just before Leia kisses Luke on the lips in Empire.
It was, of course, the 'special" edition and while it's now 17 years since I last saw them on the big screen, my overall dislike of the changes remains - which I think is testimony to the fact that the initial barrage of complaints from Star Wars fans wasn't just a beat up. The additions generally slow up the films, and the first 2 in particular are so beautifully paced that there was no need for additions. And in several cases the changes made the storytelling worse, Greedo shooting first still jars, Solo was too smart to allow that, Darth Vader growling "Bring my shuttle!" was a fabulous reflection of how pissed he was that Luke had slipped his clutches.
The celebratory sequence in Jedi is OK, but what was wrong with the original? I don't think the change improved the story and it reduced the personal element that Jedi's original finish emphasised, showing Luke privately burning Vader's body was moving. Using Iain McDermaid to re-record the Emperor sequence in Empire was an excellent decision, it improves the scene and the storytelling. Some of the additions of new visuals in the background work well too, eg the cityscape image when Lando Calrissian is telling the citizens of Cloud City to leave. Overall though, I prefer the original cut by a considerable margin.
I found Palpatine's attempts to seduce Luke to be utterly woeful when compared to the subtle, complex web that he constructed over many years in order to ensnare his father. By the end Palpatine was relying purely on force to keep his empire together, but he'd built his empire through his ability to develop alliances and play politics. In Jedi he rejects his alliances and isn't trying to build any more. Absolute power had corrupted him absolutely and thus these scenes work better with the addition of the prequel trilogy, the weakness of Palpatine's efforts to seduce Luke become a demonstration of how much damage has been done to Palpatine by how he chose to live, rather than a poorly written script that made one question how a character of Vader's strength and power would ever choose to serve this man. The Dark Side has betrayed him too, as he could have been a great and loved Chancellor, instead of this feeble, hate riddled, shell of a man.
Anakin had been moved to save his life once because he saw that he needed him to save his loved ones and because he viewed Palpatine as a good man in a difficult situation, that mask had been blown by Jedi, which meant that the basis of Vader's loyalty was no longer solid. Now that Palpatine was seeking to kill Vader's loved one, it became an easy decision for him to intervene. Too easy for mine, I consider that Vader's saving of his son's life fails as an act of redemption, most people would save their own children, no matter how sick and twisted they are generally. This is a man who killed children and other civilians for fun, and who had proceeded to spend decades with minimal respect for life, he killed on whims. Does saving one life, that of his only son to boot, truly balance the scales for him?
Speaking of Star Wars, I saw a totally hilarious Harry Potter v Star Wars mock battle on YouTube the other day, made by 2 Adelaide brothers, it's brilliant! Hope you enjoy it!
Saturday, 3 May 2014
NSW Politics
I confess that I am completely disgusted by how blatantly our NSW Parliamentary representatives have been in the pockets of the rich and how cynically they have been exploiting rules aimed to help them be more effective representatives!
However, my purpose in writing this little piece isn't to ramble on about their many shortcomings but to ask a question. Is NSW politics full of corrupt politicians who are not to be found in the other States or is just that NSW is the only State with an Independent Commission Against Corruption that can investigate these matters and therefore catch them?
Are your Federal representatives being investigated for such links? Or are they able to investigate themselves?
However, my purpose in writing this little piece isn't to ramble on about their many shortcomings but to ask a question. Is NSW politics full of corrupt politicians who are not to be found in the other States or is just that NSW is the only State with an Independent Commission Against Corruption that can investigate these matters and therefore catch them?
Are your Federal representatives being investigated for such links? Or are they able to investigate themselves?
Friday, 2 May 2014
The Went Report
As part of updating the blog, I've named it properly as The Went Report!!!
The Went Report was the name that I gave to my opinion pieces that I wrote about rugby league when I was back in Year 5. I would finish my work, ask for a piece of art paper and go write a report about what was happening in the game. The title was stolen from Geoff Prenter, who was the editor of Rugby League Week at the time and wrote a weekly column titled the Prenter Report.
The Went Report recurred in some other guises during my high school years and I've retained a fondness for the title, hence its selection as my blog.
As a perusal of the archive will show, I set up the blog 6 years ago and entertained varying visions of becoming a prolific blogger, now that I'm not entertaining such visions, I've finally organised the blog and started telling people about it.
The main purpose for the blog is to give me a space to write longer spiels than fit in a Facebook status post. Sometimes I'll include updates about my family and career, other times I'll write about my interests. I expect that most posts will be fairly short and that lengthy spiels will be irregular.
My interests include books, current affairs, sports, sustainability issues, science, education and so most of my posts will relate to one of those. However, I will write about whatever I feel like writing, irrespective of whether I have promised to write about it previously. I don't intend to make money out of the blog and I'm not particularly concerned about how large the audience is, which frees me to write as I please.
I'm not certain as to how regularly I will post, so rather than making any grandiose claims that subsequent events will disprove, I will simply post as I feel like it and see how many posts I make.
There are still a few things I have to do with the updating process so there's a good chance that additional changes will occur here.
I've finally made the blog look presentable and I'm sharing it with people I know - this is rather exciting!
The Went Report was the name that I gave to my opinion pieces that I wrote about rugby league when I was back in Year 5. I would finish my work, ask for a piece of art paper and go write a report about what was happening in the game. The title was stolen from Geoff Prenter, who was the editor of Rugby League Week at the time and wrote a weekly column titled the Prenter Report.
The Went Report recurred in some other guises during my high school years and I've retained a fondness for the title, hence its selection as my blog.
As a perusal of the archive will show, I set up the blog 6 years ago and entertained varying visions of becoming a prolific blogger, now that I'm not entertaining such visions, I've finally organised the blog and started telling people about it.
The main purpose for the blog is to give me a space to write longer spiels than fit in a Facebook status post. Sometimes I'll include updates about my family and career, other times I'll write about my interests. I expect that most posts will be fairly short and that lengthy spiels will be irregular.
My interests include books, current affairs, sports, sustainability issues, science, education and so most of my posts will relate to one of those. However, I will write about whatever I feel like writing, irrespective of whether I have promised to write about it previously. I don't intend to make money out of the blog and I'm not particularly concerned about how large the audience is, which frees me to write as I please.
I'm not certain as to how regularly I will post, so rather than making any grandiose claims that subsequent events will disprove, I will simply post as I feel like it and see how many posts I make.
There are still a few things I have to do with the updating process so there's a good chance that additional changes will occur here.
I've finally made the blog look presentable and I'm sharing it with people I know - this is rather exciting!
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