Notices by Mark Asser (markasser@beige.party)

@evan Compulsory voting prevents the voter suppression seen in primitive electoral systems.

Today will be all about torment and self-loathing as I trudge the path of doom along with so many other lost souls, disconnected from the real world, pausing only for meatballs or maybe some sort of cake before descending into the marketplace to look at truly practical kitchen gadgets and maybe a new laundry basket.

My brain has decided to relitigate some disputes from the years 1998-2010. It is unclear how it thinks this will help anyone or anything.

Back here again in the small hours. Slept for a little while before a very stupid horrible dream started. I won't give all the details, for the very sound reason that nobody wants them, but the cavalry charge in a shopping mall was the most sensible bit of it.

So here I am, awake at the wrong time again. (Specifically, 2:37am.) Please tell me boring things, the more yawn-inducing the better.

Taking my list of things I could do today, adding it to my list of things I should do today, and forming a single unified list of things I will not do today. There. So much tidier, and absolutely accurate too.

I thought I was having a truly unsatisfactory day until I remembered the Erfurt Latrine Disaster, a textbook case of how things really could be worse. Think about this whenever you think things have gone to shit.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erfurt_latrine_disaster

@TheBreadmonkey Oh dear. Stuffing up performative patriotism...

Important wombat news.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-24/tasmania-ocean-wombat-video/103757932

#wombat

@goatsarah Ah, well, that makes all the difference.

@goatsarah Also, didn't Portugal have an actual revolution to get rid of the fascists?

I spent the afternoon reading a book, an actual paper book. I must set aside more afternoons for this. One can't flick between sites or otherwise multitask while reading an actual paper book. Old-fashioned relaxation.

@atlas Bet you can't pick just one...

A few notes for overseas observers of Australia's fucked-up referendum:

1. The purpose was to establish a First Nations advisory body to the Federal Parliament. This had nothing to do with citizenship, or equal rights, or any of the other crap half-informed people seem to think was involved.

2. We needed a referendum to include the proposed body in the federal Constitution. The Constitution can only be amended via a referendum.

3. We needed to include the body in the Constitution because that would have protected it from being abolished by the next right-wing government without another referendum. Previous efforts to elevate First Nations control of First Nations issues have routinely been abolished by right-wing governments.

4. The sheer volume of disinformation has been as depressing as fuck.

5. Yes, there's racism throughout all of this. Also extreme ignorance, some of it wilful.

Just had Godsellers at the door. No. If I ever feel inclined to find God I'll check behind the couch first.