Fantastic debate

http://fora.tv/2007/10/11/Christopher_Hitchens_Debates_Alister_McGrath#fullprogram

E-Fail

Today I read a great article about the role of email in possible career obliteration: 
http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/efail-20120420-1xat0.html

The background is quite a mild piece about female representation in Queensland parliament:
http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/women-struggle-for-a-political-voice/story-fn6ck620-1226327122971

Which elicited this vitriolic email from a fat, white and woolly mammoth:
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/lnp-media-staffer-max-tomlinson-quits-over-sexist-political-rant-directed-at-columnist-carole-ford/story-e6freon6-1226331445831

I wonder what was going through his head when he pressed the *send* button? What would possess someone to write and SEND an email which could so obviously be used against him? “Well this should convince the old PHD-earning feminazi journalist of the error of her ways, and she will be so ashamed at her wasted life she will write me a thank you note and crawl back into the kitchen”

Clearly many people agree with him, if I judge by the number of supportive comments left by the readers. This is a classic example: “What Max said is accurate. That he has been forced to resign is an indictment on so called political correctness”. But I fancy not many of them would send an email expressing these views unless it was to preach to the choir.

This is what dinner at old Max's house probably looks like:
http://youtu.be/MMb8Csll9Ws

And this must be the lovely woman he is married to:
http://youtu.be/39qdhbkTko4

This article made me laugh it was such an accurate depiction of Egyptian tourism:

http://www.theage.com.au/travel/blogs/the-backpacker/where-the-tourists-are-fair-game-20120403-1w9pa.html

Organ Pipes National Park

Tiny national park off the Calder Freeway, it was only 20 min drive away from us. Has some interesting rock formations, and it was nice to feel like we were out of the city, even for a little bit. Had it all to ourselves for the 45 min it took us to walk around the entire thing :)

Garden (sort of)

Now I know why my basil grew so bendy to the right....

Vessarion

Thought this might be interesting for my Russian friends:

http://www.theage.com.au/tv/show/jesus-of-siberia/jesus-of-siberia-vissarion-20120202-1qus7.html

I've actually read about this guy while in Siberia but it's a huge effort to get to his place and we couldn't be bothered.

I think the impact of the story as narrated by a cocky America college student is somewhat diminished for me but the scenery alone makes me nostalgic.

Wind blowing sand across the beach - look closely, it looks like some kind of special effects: