The Net and nothing but the Net

Who are we actually voting for Vickie Chapman or Isobel Redmond

JohnF — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:18:48 +0000

FORMER Liberal deputy leader Vickie Chapman has refused to rule out challenging Isobel Redmond for the Liberal leadership after the election.

She twice dodged the question at a press conference today – and even when contacted by AdelaideNow later in the afternoon, Ms Chapman tried to defuse the issue, saying it was “not a relevant question”.

Asked twice at the earlier press conference, Ms Chapman avoided directly answering questions about whether she would make a tilt for the leadership in the next four years.

Instead she tried to focus attention on the short time the Liberal Party had left to try to win government on Saturday.

“We are fighting in the next five days to make sure we have an opportunity for a Liberal Government, I have always said that is the absolute priority for myself and other colleagues,” she said.

Shutter Island psychological mystery-thriller film

JohnF — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:25:51 +0000

Shutter Island is a 2010 psychological mystery-thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane. Production started in March 2008. Shutter Island was originally slated to be released on October 2, 2009, but Paramount pushed the release date to February 19, 2010.[3] Paramount head executive Brad Grey blamed the recent economic downturn as the main decision behind the delayed release date.

Pi Day and Pi Approximation Day

JohnF — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:09:27 +0000

Pi Day and Pi Approximation Day are two holidays held to celebrate the mathematical constant π (pi) (in the mm/dd date notation: 3/14); since 3, 1 and 4 are the first three decimal digits of π. March 14 is also the birthday of Albert Einstein and the two events are sometimes celebrated together.

Observation

Pi Approximation Day is observed on July 22, because of the Ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes’ first rough approximation of π as being 22/7. [Archimedes was able a few years later to calculate a much-better approximation of π.] However, this may be considered misleading, as all cited dates are “approximation days” (since π is an irrational number) and 22/7 is actually a closer approximation of π than 3.14 is. Typically, March 14 is more popular for countries using the month/day format and the 22nd of July is more popular for countries using the day/month format.

Alice in Wonderland

JohnF — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:33:35 +0000

One golden afternoon, young Alice follows a White Rabbit, who disappears down a nearby rabbit hole. Quickly following him, she tumbles into the burrow – and enters the merry, topsy-turvy world of Wonderland!

Rated: [PG]

Cinema Release: 4 Mar 2010

Director: Tim Burton

Running Time: 108 mins

Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Johnny Depp

The Men Who Stare At Goats

JohnF — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:27:51 +0000

Two strangers set off on a road trip, in war-torn Iraq, during which one recounts the story of his participation in the New Earth Army, a secret special forces US Military Team, trained to use paranormal powers during war.

Rated: [M]

Cinema Release: 4 Mar 2010

Director: Grant Heslov

Stars: George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges

Dear John

JohnF — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:26:31 +0000

A romantic drama about a soldier who falls for a conservative college student while he’s home on leave. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the couple is separated by John’s increasingly dangerous deployments.

While meeting only sporadically, they stay in touch by sending a continuous stream of love letters overseas – correspondance that eventually triggers fateful consequences.

Rated: [M]

Cinema Release: 4 Mar 2010

Director: Lasse Hallstrom

Stars: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Scott Porter

Remember Me

JohnF — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:25:09 +0000

Years after college student Tyler Roth’s brother killed himself, Tyler still doesn’t know where to put his pain. He’s a good guy, but during a night out on the town, he confesses to a misdemeanour he didn’t commit and gets in trouble with a heavy-handed cop. In a light hearted game of payback, Tyler flirts with the cop’s attractive daughter, Ally, not realizing they share unexpected common ground.

Rated: [M]

Cinema Release: 11 Mar 2010

Director: Allen Coulter

Running Time: 128 mins

Stars: Robert Pattinson, Pierce Brosnan, Emilie de Ravin

SVU to split up

JohnF — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:18:00 +0000

Mariska Hargitay has bathed in critical and financial success as one half of the Law & Order: SVU crime-fighting team of Benson and Stabler – but dark clouds are brewing.

Hargitay has overcome serious challenges in her private life and acting career, but she’s about to face something that threatens to tear both of them apart.

For 11 seasons she has played the supportive Det Olivia Benson to Chris Meloni’s no-nonsense Det Elliot Stabler.

The long days – up to 15 hours – on set have helped Hargitay and Meloni form a bond that goes far beyond their screen characters.

Both are married with children. Hargitay’s son, August, to husband Peter Hermann turns four in June. Meloni and his wife, Doris Sherman Williams, have two children: Sophia, who turns 9 this month, and Dante, 6.

Hargitay and Meloni have even bought a holiday beach property together for shared family vacations.

Your Children on Facebook? This is a must read

JohnF — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:09:05 +0000

Even after 15 years in child protection, I was shocked by what I encountered when I spent just five minutes on Facebook posing as a 14-year-old girl. Within 90 seconds, a middle-aged man wanted to perform a sex act in front of me.

I was deluged by strangers asking stomach-churning questions about my sexual experience. I was pressured to meet men with whom I’d never before communicated.

So I wasn’t surprised that a vulnerable teenager, Ashleigh Hall, was groomed on Facebook before being brutally raped and killed.

Australians favorite recipe

JohnF — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:30:12 +0000

IT’S 5pm and busy Australian mums and dads are searching online for inspiration on what to cook for dinner.

What are they looking up? How to roast a chicken, do a beef stir-fry or marinade pork cutlets?

No, they’re searching for zucchini slice.

Strange though it may seem, the dish is No. 1 on the recipe site taste.com.au, with almost 40,000 copies downloaded in the website’s three-year history.

Following zucchini slice, the nation’s next favourite recipes are banana bread, gingerbread men and classic shepherd’s pie.

Other recipes that make it into the Taste top 10 are equally old-fashioned favourites cupcakes, scones and Anzac biscuits.

Taste.com.au editor Syrie Wongkaew said the online popularity of items such as scones and Anzac biscuits reflected the continued enthusiasm among home cooks for food “like your grandma or mum used to make”.

“While Australians are willing to embrace new food trends, people tend to be a bit nostalgic and they want homemade food that tastes good and reminds them of their childhoods,” Ms Wongkaew said.

Another factor in the popularity of these recipes could be that most of them are missing from trendy or glossy cookbooks.