This will hurt me...

Without a shadow of a doubt, Hugo Chávez is the rudest head of state currently going around. Over the years, we have seen and heard many examples of his discourteous behaviour: ex-wives ; ex-lovers ; Spanish royals ; US Ambassadors ; the General Assembly of the United Nations ; the US President (a lot); Mexicans ; along with pretty much everyone else! So there should be no surprise that he's at it yet again ! I do like the logic though: Angela Merkel is German politician. She identifies (broadly) as ' of the right '. Some German right wingers supported Fascism in the 1930s and 1940s. Hitler was a Fascist. Ergo , Merkel = "..." With those powers of reasoning, Chavez should be heading up the UTas branch of Socialist Alliance !

The damn fools that own this building have come in and painted all of the window panes. How very nice of them. Hey, got quite a bit of blue paint on all the windows, but they’ve given it their best shot. Nonetheless, they've neglected to open the windows a crack while doing it, which means that they effectively glued it shut and now – despite significant effort on my behalf – I can't open my bloody thing! The one thing that makes working in this godforsaken converted warehouse bearable and they take it away from me! It's projected to be 33°C today! This building has been shut up since Friday and it's like a sauna already! This calls for my friend the angry protestor: [Note: seriously, if anyone knows how to crack one of these mothers open, I'd be most grateful!]

First up, I think that Costello’s assessment of John Howard as an economic manager is pretty much spot on, but I would have thought that he’d be more careful in the manner in which he’d express himself. I applaud any politician brave enough to offer an honest critique, but you really have to wonder about the shrewdness of Costello continuing the criticism yesterday. After a number of standoffs over the leadership, again the Treasurer looks like an angry younger sibling sniping away, only not having the guts or power to challenge his older brother. Also, you can’t help but feel that he is having a bob each way by staying in the job as Treasurer, either not challenging more forthrightly on policy or the leadership, but also “expressing concerns” at Federal Government spending. Again, he really does come across as both disloyal and weak, not two traits that you’d want in a future PM. To do it in an election year compounds it. On this, I think that the smart money should be on him never b...

I cannot believe that Collingwood are trying to spin the Alan Didak story as one with him as 'victim'. The same thing with Ben Cousins, by all accounts, he'll be playing next week. I support the AFL's drug policy, but the key point is that Cousins flouted that policy by deliberately avoiding his drug test. Anyone does that, you are obliged to assume that they're on the worst substance and whack 'em with at least 18 weeks. Anything less, and your drug testing proceedures mean nothing. Essendon won last night and sit fifth, we haven't had any scandels which is good, but by got footy is in a crappy place right now.

1919: The Treaty of Versailles, which allocates sole guilt for World War One to Germany, is signed near Paris. That went well...

Peter Walsh on ABC radio reported that Cousins was told to come in for a random drug test prior to training. He then did a Rio Ferdinand and pissed off over the back fence, went missing, phone off, rendered himself uncontactable et cetera. He has form for this (remember the running away from the Breath Test? For mine, that should have seen him sacked, as it wasn't his first offence). I'd imagine that the AFL has broader rules on this. If it is true, he'd be facing at least 18-month ban, I'd reckon. What a dickhead.

I'm just gutted that the scrag lost all that weight. It literally has ruined my week. I shall speak no more of it!