The Null Device
2001/7/5
East Timor to get 90% of Timor Gap oil revenues after new treaty with Australia; more than the 50% the Indonesian occupiers got. Quite a laudable deal, and probably quite good for the fledgling nation; at least now they're less likely to be forced by the World Bank into enslaving their populations in "export processing zones" to pay off debts. Though let us not forget that Australia did screw East Timor over quite shamefully by vigorously recognising the Indonesian occupation, and that the previous Timor Gap treaty was a reward from Indonesia to its southern accomplices in the rape of Timor.
Pinkness and horror: I got into the office this morning (it was one of those rare days when I needed to be at work in the morning), and switched on the radio whilst I checked my mail (3RRR has a good show named Sitelines on Thursday mornings, which discusses arts-related events and plays some quite good music). Imagine my alarm when the music faded out and, instead of the intelligent tones of the 3RRR announcer, there was the artificially stimulated, rapidfire, mindlessly mercantile voice of a commercial radio announcer, in full shoving-Top-40-hits-down-the-listener's-throat mode.
It seems some gremlins came and retuned my radio to FOX FM (a commercial radio station listened to by pinks, crowd-followers and people who prefer their radio conformistic and predictable) overnight.
(I did change to 3RRR, though, and caught part of Sitelines; interestingly enough, they interviewed Robert Reid of Theatre In Decay, whose latest play, Drops in the Ocean, is currently showing.)
Victoria Police superintendent Peter Billing, who drafted the police code of conduct, wants to ban police from accepting discounts from the Nike store, which has been the focus of anti-capitalist protests for the past few months, on the grounds that doing so may lead to a conflict of interest. The Nike store has a policy of giving uniformed police a 20% discount, which they say serves to deter shoplifters, rather than intimidating ultra-violent ferals. Police officers wearing their "discount suits" are eligible for special rates from numerous establishment, including fast food outlets, nightclubs and brothels, who wish to ensure their place on the good side of the law.