buggery.org

The International Federation of Journalists has issued a strong condemnation of the US miilitary “investigation” into the killing of Mazen Dana, the Palestinian Reuters cameraman who was shot by American troops in August while filming at the Abu Ghraib prison, on the western outskirts of Baghdad.

“This is the arrogant and secretive style of power exercised without any responsibility,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. “It is a scandalous denial of justice that will only reinforce demands for changes to international rules to provide more protection for journalists and media staff in conflict areas.”

“First thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,” says Dick the Butcher in Henry VI, Part II, as Shakespeare’s anarchists try to engender a state of lawlessness and chaos. The US Army seems to prefer killing journalists, perhaps in the same cause, not that they would have to do much to create lawlessness and chaos in today’s world.

The Guardian has a good report of the Mazen Dana murder, including eyewitness accounts that give some sense of the horrific scene:

Stephan Breitner, of France 2 television, added: “We were all there for at least half an hour. They knew we were journalists. After they shot Mazen, they aimed their guns at us. I don’t think it was an accident. They are very tense. They are crazy.”

The Guardian story also includes links to other stories about “Journalists under attack”.

Apologies to Max Dupain.

More photos from our trip to Merewether Baths and Burwood Beach in the gallery.

It’s been a few years since I’ve been up to the wine country, but having houseguests gives you the excuse to see the world at your doorstep, so Brent, Mieko and I spent the day yesterday touring the wineries of the Upper Hunter.

We didn’t buy a lot of wine, just a few bottles of the 1996 Tulloch Hector Shiraz and an amazing Tulloch Liqueur Muscat … but we had a delicious day tasting wine and cheese and enjoying the rolling hills covered with vineyards.

It’s amazing how one’s ability to describe the complex flavours in each sip improves with each passing hour. At first the most any of us could mention was “that’s nice” or “I don’t care for that” … by the end of the day the words “buttery”, “peppery”, “freshly-mown grass” and “tannin” we tripping off our well-lubricated tongues like we never spoke of anything more mundane than the oenological craft. Brent, as designated driver, no doubt observed this phenomenon even more closely than those of us who had the luxury of swallowing everything we tasted.

Today we’re off to the Honeysuckle Markets and goodness-knows where else. I need to find some time today to work but it’ll be tough, as the sun is shining and the breeze is cool on my face.

Edward Said is dead.

The eminent Palestinian-American intellectual, one of the most outspoken and respected advocates for the Palestinian cause, died in New York on Thursday.

He will be missed, not only by supporters of the Palestinian people, but by everyone who craves, respects and appreciates wisdom and insight in the face of chauvinism.

Patricia Lewis (grade 8 ) did an experiment to see if life can evolve from non-life. Patricia placed all the non-living ingredients of life - carbon (a charcoal briquet), purified water, and assorted minerals (a multi-vitamin) - into a sealed glass jar. The jar was left undisturbed, being exposed only to sunlight, for three weeks. (Patricia also prayed to God not to do anything miraculous during the course of the experiment, so as not to disqualify the findings.) No life evolved. This shows that life cannot come from non-life through natural processes.

All this and more at the Fellowship Baptist Creation Science Fair.

It’s official! Australia is the world’s gayest country!

In a scrupulously rigorous study based on the respected academic field of internet polling, a condom manufacturer has found that Australia, along with the US, has the highest number of same-sex relationships, a hefty 17 percent.

This may come as a surprise to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which conducts the national census. The 2001 census records only 19,596 Australians were in same-sex relationships — that’s about 0.1 percent of the population, folks.

Maybe someone at the ABS forgot to carry the 1.

The Australian version of* Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, which I posted about earlier this month, will premiere on Monday. Given the flood of email which followed my previous post, I guess I better watch it, although it is bingo night (don’t ask).

In any case, it’s hard to have any hope for a world in which the alleged “gurus of style” dress like the men in this picture.

Meanwhile, courtesy of The Onion: “Black Eye For The White Guy Cable’s Newest Hit”

*Update, 0844: I actually looked at the Channel Ten QEFTSG website. Obviously we’re getting the US version of the show first…

“Is it rude to yell at a dictarorship? Is it still appropriate to talk about threats to the exercise of free speech if we are talking about a regime which has been imposed upon a great people, and when that regime has rewritten the rules which govern democracy and civil rights?”

James’s posts (1, 2, 3) about “a miserable three hours” spent attending “an obviously rehearsed Q & A session between Jeffrey Goldberg and Paul Wolfowitz” is recommended.

Up early after a tough night, trying to sleep despite the heat. The whole country is sweltering – Newcastle yesterday was 35C but a few inland places got up over 40C. At 5:30 this morning, when I gave up trying to sleep, it was 26C, so it looks like we’re in for another warm day.

We have two visitors. Visitor one can be seen in the photo of my desk at right. Visitor two is arriving from Edmonton via Tokyo this morning. Mieko will be sharing her room with the spider, who I’ll call Boris. Mieko doesn’t know this yet, and I don’t know if Mieko likes spiders, but I’m sure they’ll get along.

Boris is not the first spider we’ve had in this house. Henrietta Huntsman shared our bedroom for more than a week before moving on, and Brent found a redback, which we didn’t name but enjoyed the sight of for a while before she was sent packing. Redbacks are glorious creatures but a wee bit too deadly to have in the house.

Current temperature: 27.7C and rising. Expect more heat-addled blaterings from your friendly neighborhood spiderman throughout the day.

In a tower of steel
Nature forges a deal
To raise wonderful hell
Like me
Like me

My name Isobel
Married to myself
My name Isobel
Living by herself

–Björk