October 24, 2003
EVIL DISTRIBUTED
Did I say I'd be gone for a couple of days? I meant nearly a whole week! I’m in Los Angeles. My unexpected relocation comes about due to the UN’s need to balance the Distribution of Evil, what with George W. Bush being in Australia.
Actually, it’s all about the evil of Ken Layne and the Corvids, whose first show was in North Hollywood on Saturday night. Absolute secrecy was required so I could sneak into town without Layne alerting the authorities.
Brief review of the show follows:
fantastic
End brief review. That was Saturday; on Sunday came the wedding of Charlie and Bonnie – at LA’s Union Station, known among students of railway station architecture as the Railway Station’s Railway Station. My own wedding plans – currently involving a bus stop outside Victoria Park – may need to be upgraded.
So I’ll be in the US for a few weeks. Where might I turn up next? Nobody knows! Well, apart from me being in New York this weekend. After that, your guess is as good as mine.
Meanwhile The Bulletin has hired someone named Tim Blai to cover for me while I’m away. Wish this promising newcomer luck! I like his style. And wish all the worst to the terrorists who prevented me (and many others) from posting until tonight (which was spent in the company of Matt Welch and Emmanuelle Richard and tuna sashimi and beer and wine; life in Arnifornia is good).
Regular posting will shortly resume, in an irregular fashion.
Posted by Tim Blair at October 24, 2003 09:47 AMHi Tim. You're in my neck of the woods (sort of). Check your email...
Posted by: Michael J. Totten at October 24, 2003 at 09:59 AMTim, what's the coverage of Bush's speech to the Australian parliment over there? Nothing?
Posted by: Amos at October 24, 2003 at 10:09 AMWelcome to California! If you make it to Camarillo (half way between LA & Santa Barbara), let me know and I'll buy you food and/or drinks.
Posted by: Polly at October 24, 2003 at 11:28 AMCool! what's the chance you can bag off NYC and come to DC on Saturday? there's an Anti-War protest that we are going to counter-protest. since you missed out on the fools in Canberra, you could check out our idiots.
Posted by: sean at October 24, 2003 at 11:49 AMTim, you get your ass back here this instant, ya hear?
Posted by: Kate at October 24, 2003 at 11:56 AMCan anyone please supply a URL of the transcript of Dr Mahathir's infamous speech at the Islamic conference? I've heard a number of people defending this ratbag saying he was quoted out of context etc, I'd like to read the whole thing myself.
My my, life's tough for some you jet-setter you. Bring me back an I LUV NY or Arnie for Govenor t-shirt. Medium, thanks.
Posted by: Jake D at October 24, 2003 at 12:18 PMI’ve been meaning to remark on the remarkably slow upload of Tim’s Bulletin articles. As weighty as Tim’s articles are, I don’t see how it is that Microsoft (NineMSN) itself has trouble carrying the load. Does Microsoft have any plans to repair the problems with its NineMSN Website?
Posted by: ForNow at October 24, 2003 at 12:40 PMAs an born n' bred Los Angelino, it gives me great pleasure to hear anyone appreciate Union Station, especially a guy like Tim.
It is indeed a beautiful, if sad, train station. In the late afternoon, with the slanted sunlight coming through the high thick-beamed windows hitting the arc-deco friezes and benches, if you squint your eyes just right, you can almost see brown-uniformed US Army troops arriving home from the war in early 1946. . . .
Posted by: KevinV at October 24, 2003 at 12:47 PMYou must visit the Rocky Mountains. I suggest a drive around Colorado, mostly the Western Slope. Most beautiful place in the continental U.S. Stay out of Boulder if you can, except if you want the entertainment value of whacked out, Greenie college students.
Posted by: Polly at October 24, 2003 at 12:59 PMNY will be close to Massachusetts and your Lowell Spinners. if you are in Mass. Rte 20 Linguini's resturant, lunchtime best grilled chicken caesar out there.
Posted by: P. Ingemi at October 24, 2003 at 02:08 PMDear ForNow,
As you may have heard Microsoft have recently taken to switching off Web Services such as chat rooms that can be a haven for morally dubious activity. As such, we are experimenting with a content aware technology that will throttle back the NineMSN website. You will find that the technology will automatically slow the site to a crawl depending on the level of immorality expressed in postings, including Mr. Blairs articles. Unfortunatly the technology doesn't yet discriminate between mindless conservative vitriol or mindless left vitriol. We will have a patch for this soon.
Steve Ballmer
Microsoft Corporation
Hey, Tim, while you're in Southern California, you have to visit Disneyland. It's loud, gaudy -- and absolutely teeming with "sophisticated" Europeans hoping nobody from back home recognizes them.
Posted by: Sean at October 24, 2003 at 02:44 PMYou're a slack bastard Blair. I've been forced to read second rate blogs while you've been taking your 'holiday'. Not happy Jan.
Posted by: Mike Hunt at October 24, 2003 at 03:05 PMSo you were gone "nearly a whole week"? This post came 7 days, 2 hours and 9 minutes after the previous one.
Are you on some kind of an Australian metric week?
Posted by: Glen H at October 24, 2003 at 03:18 PMYou're welcome to come to West Texas where you can generally drive as fast as you desire with no speed cameras to spoil the experience.
Posted by: Wallace at October 24, 2003 at 03:51 PMLA and New York? Shit. Lemoore is where it's at! Wanna go to Wal-Mart with me?
Posted by: S.A. Smith at October 24, 2003 at 04:28 PMAmos - Bush's speech was covered, not deeply, but by sound bites. Showed the Green scolds doing their Miss Walters from third grade impression. Showed Bush's comment about how he loves free speech. Showed John Howard and a few colleagues chuckling and applauding that comment. The protestors outside were originally numbered at "thousands" but as the morning wore on it ended up at "about 1000". Impossible to tell how many actually present from the footage shown.
Posted by: timks at October 24, 2003 at 04:50 PMTim Blai seems to be settling in to the column format. Don't stay away too long, or they might give him your spot.
Posted by: Evil Pundit at October 24, 2003 at 05:19 PMDoesn't ''Mad Hatter'' work better than ''Mahahaha''?
Posted by: seth at October 24, 2003 at 06:45 PMThat's all very well and nice, but I think the announcement today of Madame Chiang Kai-shek passing changes all that. As discussed on earlier posts, it's been a terrible year for Asian dictators' wives this year. What with the unexpected and tragic car accident of Madame Kim Il Jong and the not so unexpected passing of Madame Pol Pot it's well... more than the average guy can take. My deepest condolences to the Soong family.
Posted by: Charles at October 24, 2003 at 07:55 PMGerhard Schr[alt148]der
Sheesh, those German-speaking folk have difficult names. I thought Schwarzenegger was tricky enough...
Posted by: Andjam at October 24, 2003 at 10:11 PMWill Tim Bliar also have a go at your column while you're away?
Posted by: Andjam at October 25, 2003 at 12:17 AMDirty motherscratcher! I was just in LA, woulda treated you to a Pabst Blue Ribbon @ the Bigfoot.
BTW, got the package yesterday. Will email you pix of it atop a REAL hot rod.
Cheers,
Dave Burge in Chicago
Posted by: iowahawk at October 25, 2003 at 01:36 AMPS - I'm in NY Monday; you still gonna be there?
Posted by: iowahawk at October 25, 2003 at 01:39 AMTom,
the URL for Mahathir's speech is:
http://www.oicsummit2003.org.my/speech_03.php
Anybody who has actually read the speech would be hard-pressed to defend it agaist anti-semitic charges - unless, of course, you don't consider the notion that the Jews control the world anti-semitic... If you liked the Protocols of Zion, you'll like his speech.
Cheers from Texas-
-jcy-p
Okay, Mr. B., I know you’re just doing your job the best you see how, like every one of us, but let me ask you this instead. Why do the fontsets for Microsoft include eth (ð) & thorn (þ) but omit yogh (like a 3 but with a flat top & extending below the line)? And please don’t start yammering about how yogh is not in Icelandic. The continuity of English Old & Modern is the issue & the plain people of a literary bent deserve better.
Posted by: ForNow at October 25, 2003 at 03:19 AMSo did you fly on one of the new 747-400ER's? The entertainment system on those is excellent. Time passes by much faster. :)
I think Tim is secretly running Schwarzenegger's transition team and will soon be named Lt. Governor of California, or at least in charge of the speeding laws.
Posted by: perfectsense at October 25, 2003 at 04:40 AMInstapundit has disappeared. Our leaders are assembling. Soon we shall be free.
Posted by: Theodopoulos Pherecydes at October 25, 2003 at 11:48 AMTim: While you're here, are you interested in being an honorary member of my underground right-wing militia? Heheh.
Posted by: Aaron at October 25, 2003 at 03:25 PMIf you happen to turn up in Chicago, I'd sure like the opportunity to shake your hand.
I suppose I could make the same promise to you that I made to then Vice President Dan Quayle, that I'd never wash that hand again, but I'm not sure that'd help.
Hey Sean!!
Bet you have loads of great pics showing the overwhelming turnout of pro-death crusaders in DC on Saturday, over the inevitably whimpy turnout of anti-war protesters.
Can't wait!!!
S.Slips
Tim, please give the people in California my consolences on the Bushfires that are doing to LA what we in Canberra went through 8 months ago.
Pity that Davis wasn't the only thing fired.
Tim, laddie,
Hope you're staying cool in fiery southern CA. Seems like the whole world is burning. If it's not bombs, then it's bushfires. Big Arnie is starting his new job with an immediate major headache. Let's see how well he handles this crisis.
C'mon back to sunny Sydney. I'm looking forward to your next Blogfest in bee-ooo-ti-full Bondi Junction.
Posted by: YankeeVirago at October 29, 2003 at 10:02 PMThose darn greens! Who elected them anyway? Imagine, politicians like that having the gall to be so opportunistic. Garnering all that media attention. Getting their mushes on the box worldwide! Such gall! Such impertinence! Just because they're elected doesn't mean they got the right to speak in their own parliament. I mean, they must have known that CNN had sneaked in. The hide. The shame they've brought on this nation, a nation that proudly shares the head of state with another, unnamed country. A nation that will proudly do whatever its damn-well told.
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