26 July 2006

little things

Been pretty busy at work and with work stuff after hours, so no recent posts. Will be similar tonight, preparing for a presentation tomorrow as well as a session with the boss, so just a few random thoughts on current affairs:

  • what's the difference between Leterio Silvestri and David Hicks? This might read rather offensively but what is provoking this comparison is the notion of a fair trial. We have a reasonable suspicion about Silvestri based on evidence and his attitude (as espoused in his own words) to date. Silvestri's lawyers have been trying to get evidence given in camera as they suspect that if he goes to trial, he won't get a fair one. Probably a correct conclusion based on what we've learnt to date. Hicks has been charged but under a totally foreign system (in fact foreign even to its supposed jurisdiction, the rest of the USA), we have had no chance to consider his guilt or innocence ourselves apart from being pronounced guilty by Rumsfeld, Howard et al immediately after he was captured. There's something wrong in all of this.
  • Jason Akermanis gets dumped from the Lions. V V B has never yet discussed anything remotely sport-related, but what got me about this issue was the tension between the nature of teamwork and value of the 'outsider'. We are exhorted to take 'outsiders' at face value as they have something to contribute to society that often the mainstream can't even recognise, let alone value. Think artists, poets, 'mystics' and so on. At the same time, the rule for teams is that no player is bigger than the team. In this case, it is the later that has triumphed after, admittedly, a fair history of 'Aker's' antics. Which is right. Does the 'normal' always win out? How do 'outsiders' maintain their drive? Maybe Aker isn't so much of an outsider as I am painting him here - just a thought experiment (or sorts).

Gotta go, potatoes need peeling.

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