Exasperated Calculator

Weight: 111.9kg

Weight: 111.6kg

Weight: 111.5kg

Exciting times:

Kim Beazley has put his job on the line by announcing a caucus leadership ballot for Monday morning. Ballots will also be called for the deputy leadership as well as all positions on Labor’s frontbench.

(From the Herald).

I don’t know who to go for here. Beazley has shown himself to be serially inept, but I’m not sure that Rudd would be a lot better. Still, I suppose that it would be hard to be much worse than Kimbo, so I guess I have to go for Rudd (or Gillard, who may yet declare). But would Beazley have done this if he didn’t think he had the numbers?

News Limited reports:

The Australian Capital Territory record the highest life expectancy for males and females at 79.9 and 84 years respectively.

Which they headline ‘Live longer, live in Canberra’. But of course, this is the wrong way around. Living in Canberra is very unlikely to do anything for you. But the kind of people who live in Canberra, especially those with higher income levels, tend to live longer. Which is quite sad, when you think about it.

First, the background (from the Sydney Morning Herald):

The annual Walkley Awards for journalism were rocked by an attack on stage on Thursday night at the Crown Casino in Melbourne.

Controversial crikey.com.au writer Stephen Mayne was attacked by Sunday Telegraph columnist Glenn Milne.

Mayne had just finished awarding the best business news report to the Australian Financial Review’s Morgan Mellish when Milne rushed up onto the stage and accosted Mayne, pushing him off the platform and onto the floor.

But how did the audience react? According to the Herald:

Milne then began berating Mayne from the stage as the audience, which consisted of a representation of Australia’s top journalists, looked on horrified.

Dear oh dear? That sounds dreadful. But I wonder what News Limited has to say:

“You are an absolute disgrace,” an outraged Milne shouted, as an audience of the nation’s media elite erupted into laughter.

[....]

The ballroom full of guests at Melbourne’s Crown Casino cheered and whistled as Milne stumbled down the stairs and, still yelling insults, was led away.

Now which of these is true? Let’s go to the video.

Yep, that’d be whistling and cheering. Bad Fairfax, trying to spin things against News Limited.

Well, as it’s finally been announced, I can tell people that I was just promoted to EL2 within the Department of the Treasury. I’ll be staying in more or less my current position, but my current position will be expanded a little bit with more responsibilities.

Oh, and I bought one of these.