16MG INCOMPETENCE RED: or how the Australian Government needs to look busy in the eyes of the non-smoking taxpayer ~ALEX

Hello again. As we speak, the Australian Government is strongly considering the legislation for plain cigarette packaging. Honestly, I can only describe this as the government attempting to please the public while doing very little for the cause of anything.

First of all, cigarette brands will still be existent. Those of appropriate age (i.e. 18+) and those with correct ID to prove this (if you are under 25 you will be asked for ID) will head down to the shop WHERE THE CIGARETTES ARE ALL BEHIND AN UGLY BLACK CUPBOARD, before buying their packet of Marlboro Extra Tar. Of course, you may have noticed I capitalized the most important point. In almost all major supermarkets and many newsagents, cigarette packets are kept behind a black plastic shelf in order to mask the 'pwetty culorz' from the small children who will obviously be so tempted to buy cigarettes with their pocket money. Sorry junior, but last time I checked you're only 2. You need to at least progress beyond formula before you start thinking about cigarettes. On an interesting side note, this never happened and I doubt it will to most people. Most factors that influence cigarette smoking are not packaging related.

And this brings me right to the second point, the 'raise the drinking age to 21' point, as I have so aptly named it. Why is raising the drinking age to 21 pointless? Anyone who has ever seen an American College movie (or indeed real life) will back me up when I say that THEY WILL JUST BUY IT UNDERAGE. The government may be living in a fantasy world of heavy policing and law-abiding citizens, but unfortunately many people have the potential to break the law, and if pushed, many will. Sometimes this push involves, oh I don't know, raising the drinking age to 21? Maybe you could just go out, get a fake ID, and go buy yourself a bottle of Jagermeister or whatever your poison is before K.Rudd notices that those primary school kids who were attracted to those 'pwetty culorz' have gone out and bought IMPORTED CIGARETTES. That's right. Imported.

Many tobacconists will stock a more extensive listing of brands than many major supermarkets, convenience stores or newsagents. For those sticklers out there, here's the Australian RRP listing for cigarette brands for our market [http://www.c-store.com.au/industry/tobacco-pricing.pdf]. I can think of several brands that don't appear on that list, and all of those brands are smoked by the high school kids that the government is trying to 'save' by implementing this legislation. These brands are imported from other countries (notably asian countries such as Japan (Mild Seven) and Korea (Wigo) and will therefore most likely not be included in such laws. Kids will get their colours, and their cigarettes. The laws are therefore then, in effect, pointless.

They've also done studies on these plain packets, claiming that they reduce 'street cred'. No, they won't. As the cigarette market gets policed more and more tightly, they turn from something which you know is bad and think to yourself 'hmm...i'd better not...' to something that is 'dangerous'; i.e. has the excitement of danger attached to it. Buying cigarettes will morph into a whole different game, and the game will be associated with more and more danger appeal. And besides, it's already been announced that obesity is a greater cause of premature death in Australia (even more than cigarette smoking). Can't you do something about that?

Comment if you agree/disagree/have any points of interest. I'm happy to hear feedback, argument or anything else relevant. I haven't proofread this (nor will I) so if you see any typos, you can put them up and I'll revise it.

James: Kates Party

It's me again. Over the past few days we have witnessed yet another facebook phenomenon. It all revolves around this girl named Kate. She was having a party in her Adelaide apartment but she left the event as public. So anybody could invite anybody to the event. By the time she closed the event over 70,000 people had listed their rsvp as "attending". Us Australians never thought we'd see someone overtake Corey Worthington as the biggest partier ever, but we may have seen it happen. Since the event went up there are over 500 facebook groups on various topics relating to kates party. There are quite a few funny ones: "I hope there's security at Kates Party, we don't want any randoms to show up!", '"Mum im going to Kates" "are many people going" "just a few' and "From a scale of 1 to Kate, How big is your party?". If you go on facebook often you would have noticed a trend towards turban groups, don't you worry someone made a group for that too: "Which Turban should I wear to Kate's party?". The event has got so big that there is now a Kate's party in every capital city in Australia for people who don't want to go to that hole called Adelaide. I love these internet phenomenons. They are what has made the internet so popular, well that and the porn.

I think despite people constantly warning us that facebook is full of pedophiles and stalkers most of the people on there just wanna be able to catch up with their friends when they aren't with their friends (although there probably is quite a large number of pedophiles and stalkers on facebook too, just as long as you don't accept any creepy looking old men to be friends with you it should be fine though). Facebook has revolutionised the way we contact people and interact. Facebook has games too, such as farmville and cafe world of which I have both been addicted to. As long as you don't spend every waking moment on these games then they are fine.

In conclusion Facebook is awesome as long as you don't play farmville or are a pedo.

James

p.s. Any other business that wants to pay me to write another glowing report of their product is quite welcome to give me as much money as possible.

Also I just found out Kates Party is a fake party, but try and tell that to the 100,000 people including me who is going to a Kates birthday celebration party this weekend, as remember in my Australia Day blog entry Australians will take excuse to have a party, so even if it is fake expect 100,000 people celebrating Kates Birthday this saturday and then expect 100,000 people celebrating Sickie Day the next day.

Anthony: Youtube

Youtube is selling out, but what's really bad about this is the fact that they are undermining the basis of the internet: Global Shared Content. At least, in my idealist mind, that's how it works. Info for everyone, and fuck the country. But youtube are not not letting me acess videos based on my country.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

that is all.

Anthony: Win For Greenpeace, AKA "We know where you live!"

This is fucking amazing. Worldwide influence, billions funneled into their cause, and greenpeace are reduced to blustering about the 'oil-funded denial machine' and the fact they they 'know where we live'. I kid you not. In a recent Greenpeace blog post, a member threatened:

"If you're one of those who have spent their lives undermining progressive climate legislation, bankrolling junk science, fueling spurious debates around false solutions, and cattle-prodding democratically-elected governments into submission, then hear this:
We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you work. And we be many, but you be few."


They also encourages "mass civil disobedience" and pretty much said that Democracy, and the very governments that fund them, (as far as I know) have let them down and need to be shown the error of their ways. Thats just fucking amazing. BRILLIANT move there.

Let me guess, you forgot that half of your goddamn name is PEACE? You've crossed the line from peacefull protesting to terrorist organization. And I mean that. They have threatened the government, and encouraged breaking the law. Terrorists.

Endgame, you fucking morons.

James: On Holidays

So it's been a while since my last post as Anthony eluded to in his last post. The truth is that I'm not funny and I'm not angry. So I have to find something different to talk about to Alex and Anthony which is difficult, so please excuse the lateness in this post (btw this is only one of the reasons I haven't posted in 3 months, the main reason is because I'm mega lazy and have been spending my time playing COD and going on facebook). Before I start what I was actually gonna talk about I would just like to make a reply to Alex over his internet censorship post. I couldn't agree more with him but I do think it's a bit harsh for us to be compared to Soviet Russia because after all dystopic totalitarian state of Soviet Russia is reminiscent of you! (Russian Reversals ftw!, even though I could have spent more time on that joke I instead decided to play COD)

So it's holidays again. Once again I am feeling a bit underwhelmed by holidays. I'm not complaining about holidays because as I have already established I am lazy and just want to do nothing (or play COD) all day. The main problem I have with holidays is that seem to come at a time when I am already not paying attention in school. By the end of term you do know work at school anyway and you're with your friends. So this makes school good. Taking this rare state of school bliss away from us kids is the equivalent to the dystopic totalitarian state reminiscent of Soviet Russia. The exams are mid-way through the term so that's when we actually do work. School starts to get good in the final 2 or 3 weeks of term when we do no work and only bludge. When we get back from school we will of course realise this was stupid and do a bit of work before the exams but then get tired and once again fall into the same trap. See in my opinion I think that this is all part of a massive conspiracy cooked up by the government in order to make sure that people believe Global Warming is happening. This may seem very farfetched and indeed it is. But think about it, all these kids are sitting around at home with the heater on for 2 weeks. They are gonna notice that the room is getting hotter, albeit only after playing many days on COD. I'd go further into this point, but I forgot where I was going. Anyway just remember the mutant ninja squirrels will take over the earth.

Easter has come and gone and I went to the Easter Show this year. Since I've got older I really haven't enjoyed the Easter Show. To me it's a place you go if you want to see animals that stink beyond belief or you are some mega moneybags who can afford to actually do other stuff whilst you're there. There was one okay part when me and my brother decided to re-enact a thing we did a couple of years ago. We went to the chilli stand and we decided to eat the hottest chilli that they had. Last time it was 10++/10. This time however we were happy to know that there was a chilli hotter than that. It was 14/10. Luckily this time I was prepared and had an ice-cream already bought when I tried it. I learnt an important lesson, if you're gonna be stupid at least be prepared so that it isn't quite so stupid.

If this blog entry seems stupid and pointless, it's most likely because it is. I'm tired from staying up all night a few nights ago (trust me, not a good idea when you cant sleep the next day) plus my sister is having a sleepover tonight, so I may struggle to get enough sleep tonight. I'm going to see an MA 15+ movie (one that actually deserves to be MA, not one where parents are over-reacting to the point that there will be no movies because some parent will be offended that Woody from toy story is a cowboy and that as there are no cowboys anymore that is reflecting negatively on our kids) tomorrow to annoy one of my friends as he turns 15 the next day. I know that's really really mean but I need to take advantage of the little holiday time that remains as when the holidays end I will regret this blog post as I will most likely be complaining about the massive amount of work I have to do.

Til next time when I can be bothered to get off the PS3 and write a blog,
James

ALEX: Censor this blog post

Obviously the Australian government has decided that the internet is NSFW. The communications minister, Stephen Conroy, has campaigned for a compulsory filter over all Australian internet, claiming it will benefit the general populace by blocking out child pornography and other such things that are bad for us. What I really want to know though, is why the government has declined to publish the list of sites they intend to block.

"Experts" have claimed that this is a bad idea because the strain of the filter will slow internet speeds. I say that this is a bad idea because it limits freedoms. Now you're probably thinking, "What kind of crazy person is he to want people to be able to see child pornography and other illegal activity over the internet?" but you would be wrong. Rather than a step in the right direction, this is like putting a barbed wire fence around the continent to stop sharks getting in. Frankly, it's stupid, and there is no better word for it.

First we will have an internet filter. We will then gradually lose the right to publish free information. Slowly, personal freedoms will become a thing of the past, and our country will decline into a dystopic totalitarian state reminiscent of Soviet Russia in the previous century. We will get our new cars after those in power get them. We will not be allowed to do certain actions because those in power do not approve of them, even though these people happily live in freedom in their mansions, while we line up to buy a loaf of bread and a single egg, and spend our 25 cent a week wage, getting by with the minimal of necessities, while those above us live a life of indulgent luxury. As it was in the Soviet era, this system will inevitably be bypassed by those with the means; crime will be abundant, figures in crime will have great power, corruption will reign and our slice of the world pie will fall into chaos.

This is not so much an act on child pornography as it is an act on principle. Information, no matter what its content, should not be withheld from the public blindly. This leads to the increased belief that Australia is becoming a nanny state. And I agree with those that say this.

There needs to be a level of trust in the community for the community to function well. And that trust is breaking down, increasingly so because of irrelevant laws like this. Internet filters can easily be bypassed, no matter what sort of filter you try to use. It's the "Net principle" (pardon the pun): It is easier to cut open and eliminate the net, than to patch up crack after crack to keep it in good condition. Think about this, and it explains why there is no such thing as a crime-free society. Because it is easier to evade authority to enforce it completely. Although I will say, in no way do I endorse crime. I respect authority.

Which brings me to my second topic, related to the first; the film "Kick Ass". It has sparked controversy with certain aspects of the film, the film itself described as "an explicitly violent school holiday film starring an 11-year-old girl who shoots people in the face and uses obscene language, experts say."(SMH 28 March 2010 [smh.com.au]). What gets me here, is that the so-called "experts" say the film is not suitable for young children, although some people mistake it to be, and it should be given an R(18+) instead of an MA(15+) rating. Apparently, parents could mistake it to be a children's movie by aspects in the film trailer, and take their young kids to go see it. Except for one little flaw. The classification system. MA 15+ requires the viewer of the film to be 15 years or older. ID has to be shown when going to the cinema or buying the film. What kind of parents take any sort of young children who aren't able to handle this sort of movie to a film rated really not suitable for children. This is political correctness gone wrong, and I have so much rage it can't be expressed through computer. Conclusion; jail the parents who complain the film isn't suitable when they take their young kids to go see it. END.

Anyway, merry easter. I'll blog again soon, and yes, this one has been a while in the making.

~Alex

Anthony: Someone else has to blog now.

Really, i've had 5 or so blog posts in a row, and you guys just aren't pulling your weight. Start blogging, or i stop paying you. *serius face*

BUt as of now it is about 2AM, and I am attempting to pull an all nighter. I said once that I have always wanted to get out in the early morning under my own steam and actually apreciate the cold and wet and noisy animals and hurried commuters and whatever the fuck else the morning has to offer. I figure that since it is the Easter holls, and my sleep schedule is completley messed already, and the fact that I can never make myself get up in the morning, i should just pull an all nighter, eat some 'nanas and sleep during the day, or not at all.

It also has not escaped my notice that people need to take shit a little less seriously. Now, this is going to sound pretty screwed up, coming from the guy that bombards you with hate, bile and new things to fear/loathe/cry at every week or so, but it's a fact, just like bees and drop-bears.

Stop freaking the fuck out, CTFD and at the very least, be quiet about it. Maybe if we did this a little more then the USA wouldn't have a 10% depression rate.

Also, Caro, stop making me feel guilty about swearing.