Media7 /  by Jose Barbosa

This was taken last year during the filming a show at the annual SPADA (Screen Production and Development Association) conference. Left: Russell Brown. Right: Jonathan Coleman, Broadcasting Minister.

Bat Shit Crazy /  by Jose Barbosa

 

Batman: Then they decided to shoot me the face. Alfred: Shoot you in the face? Batman: Shoot me in the face. Thug #1: You should shoot Batman in the face! Thug #2: I'll shoot him, but... in the face? Thug #1: Shoot him in the face! Batman: Then he shot me in the face. Thug #2: I'm shooting him in the face!

An excerpt from  the 12 part comic series Batman: Odyssey which appears to be INSANE. Honestly, I think we've reached some sort of cultural singularity here.

Monday Musings /  by Jose Barbosa

The immediate explanation is not complicated and it is one familiar to most world leaders. The French economy is stalling, with unemployment stuck at 9.6%. The deficit does not equal Britain's, but its accumulated debt is just as heavy. The mood, says Socialist party spokesman Benoît Hamon, is despondent, especially among the young. "Graduates are doing jobs below their qualifications; young people owning their own property is unimaginable. They believe they will live less well than their parents and that the country is in decline."

Jonathan Freedland on the reasons for Sarkozy's diminishing popularity. As he points out it's a global situation; one that is being fought on the streets in the Middle East. As always leaders and despots should beware the young with no prospects.

He goes on:

Sarkozy's behaviour and temperament is simply unsuited to the grandeur of the office of president of the French Republic. He jogged wearing shorts on the steps of the Élysée Palace. On holiday with Carla Bruni he wore Ray-Ban sunglasses. He was photographed next to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, legs apart, poking at his mobile phone. He discussed "intimate" matters during a press conference. This is not how a French president behaves.

This will not come as a surprise to anyone, but I've heard similar criticisms of John Key, mostly that he's a "goon" and seems to be enjoying himself too much during serious occasions (greeting the crowds at Galipoli like a rock star springs to mind). But the concerns, as far as I can tell, seem to mostly reside with the left, grown used to years of Helen Clark's aloof stateliness. Unlike the French, apparently, New Zealanders don't like their leaders to float too much above the crowd and so Clark was considered "arrogant" and "out of touch" while Key is "a good bloke" and "accessible."