Lebanese terrorist propaganda rag Al-Akhbar had this positively gorgeous photograph of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on their front page a couple of days ago
(h/t The Ouwet Front):

Today they’ve gone for a cross-eyed Commie retard with a shit-eating grin. The guy next to her doesn’t seem impressed.

They are protesting at Lebanese University on a rumour that US Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman was going to accompany Craig Barrett, the chairman of Intel Corporation, on his visit to the University yesterday afternoon.

Al Akhbar was launched during last summer’s war by rabidly anti-American and pro-Hezbollah far left nationalists. Its newspaper license was leased from the Lebanese Communist Party. Looks like the LCP donated much more than just a newspaper license.

But here’s Bolivian President Evo Morales with a pancake on his head:

Thats Evo “Bunny” Morales from now on. The resemblance is truely striking.

Meanwhile some of Evo’s countrymen are trying to take the ‘coca’ out of Cola-Cola, claiming the “sacred plant is part of Bolivia’s cultural heritage”, according to FP Passport. I think Coca-Cola should counter-attack and demand a reclaimation of their other brandname currently tarnished by the South Americans – Coke.

I was on my way to work this morning and when I walked out of the tunnel between Central Station and Railway Square John Butler was just setting up for a short impromptu performance. He sat up as a busker, and people dropped coins in front of him, but there was a camera crew there also. He played a couple of songs on his acoustic and said at the end the money from “busking” was going to charity. I didn’t catch what they were recording this for. For a video clip or a TV program, I assume.

I recorded it on my phone camera, so the video quality is quite poor. The sound is ok though.

And a couple of photos:

Spiegel Online are hosting some fantastic photos of a new railroad connecting Tibet and China. I am adding this one to my list of things to do before I die, the landscape is breathtaking.

The train link is a mixed blessing for the Tibetans. Since it opened last month 70000 Chinese and foreign tourists have already taken the train, so the local economy is going to benefit greatly. Further the Chinese understand that preserving at least some Tibetan culture is in their interest, because that is what draws the foreign tourists. Although to them it is just another cash cow to milk, much like they are doing with the Shaolin Temple, which was first razed and forgotten and then repackaged and sold out, the increased tourist thoroughfare will moderate Chinese aggression against the Tibetan population. The Chinese Communist Party realises the importance of appearances, knowing that the rest of the world will continue to turn a blind eye on Tibet if at least a thin veneer of tolerance and harmony is maintained. They also realise all those “Free Tibet” stickers are nothing more than a fashion accessory for the morally vain imbecilia of the West and no serious threat to Chinese interests in Tibet exists.

On the other hand there are rumours in Tibet that China is planning on sending 400,000 people to resettle in the region. Demographics is after all the most powerful geopolitical force in existance and it has served the Chinese well.

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If you’re in Sydney you may like to drop round to Centennial Park sometime and check out the newly hatched signets. Here are some photos I took with a phone camera.

The whole family:

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Black swans in Centennial Park. The photos were taken with a phone camera.

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On the subject of digital photos, I’ve just recently been wondering how long data stored away on a CD will actually last. Photos, music, movies, data, whatever. People tend to assume that their backup CDs and DVDs are going to last for many years, or decades. I was surprised to find out that a normal burnt CD, will only last for about 2 years! That’s according to this article in the SMH.

The SMH article is refering to comments made by Herr Kurt Gerecke, “IBM expert on data storage” in PC World. Here’s what he said:

“Unlike pressed original CDs, burned CDs have a relatively short life span of between two to five years, depending on the quality of the CD,” Gerecke says. “There are a few things you can do to extend the life of a burned CD, like keeping the disc in a cool, dark space, but not a whole lot more.”

And

“Many of the cheap burnable CDs available at discount stores have a life span of around two years,” Gerecke says. “Some of the better-quality discs offer a longer life span, of a maximum of five years.”

Gerecke also recommends: using hard-drives with 7200 revolutions per minute, because “if the hard drive uses an inexpensive disk bearing, that bearing will wear out faster than a more expensive one”

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For the last few weeks I’ve been doing Tai Chi every morning in Centennial Park. Here are some photos from one of these mornings recently.

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