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Cans of spray paint, a special utility belt to hold them, harness equipment for climbing up or down tall structures and a huge Judge Dredd stencil about the size of Big Ben.

I should emphasise here that I wasn't having a go at Steamboy - it's just that this whole subject has made me (pardon the pun) vent steam, and I happened to be replying to Steamboy's post when I vented.

One of the weirdest things about what I'll term economic racism, is that the people who spout it are often, in all other ways, incredibly nice people.  I hope that doesn't come across as patronising - but the quote I gave about the maoris was from a guy I count as a really close friend - he just had some f*cked up ideas about the maoris - which seemed to have been infused into him as he grew up, rather than being his own honest opinion.

I didn't dump my Ozzie girlfriend when she told me that aborigines were sub-human - I just discussed it with her.  Actually, she dumped me for discussing it with her, but hey ho - that's life.

I respect Steamboy for openly admitting that there are strong racial tensions in Oz.  We have them here in the UK as well.

I don't accept the "you don't live here, so you don't understand" argument.

Here's a quote for you:  "You don't live in London so you don't understand that niggers are all thieves."  

Here's another:  "You don't live in Bradford so you don't understand that we're defending ourselves from an asian invasion."

How about:  "You don't live in New Zealand so you don't know that Maoris are all lazy welchers that get handed everything on a plate whilst we have to work for it."

Actually, despite the fact that statement is clearly a massive generalistation, completely bigoted and abhorently racist - if it was the case that all Maoris got handed everything on a plate - so?  If someone provided me with everything I needed to live my life in comfort, I certainly wouldn't complain.  And if there was someone to point the finger at and say "that ain't fair", it would be the person handing stuff out, not the recipient, surely?  If a parent spoils their kids, then whose fault is it that the kid grows up spoilt?

Another key point is that, if there are emergency benefits being handed out to minority groups (be it the maoris in NZ, the aborigines in Oz or whatever) then there must be an economic reason for it.  I don't accept the reasoning that "they" are all lazy, as, again, that's a sweeping, bigoted generalisation against an entire race that simply defies logic.

First off, this isn't a personal attack, or a wide, sweeping judgement on an entire nation or creed.  This is just a collection of facts.

When I was selling encyclopedias door-to-door (laugh at me later) in Kalgoorlie, I was getting shown the ropes in this really nice neighbourhood.  Lots of plush houses with large gardens.  We visited every house, except one.  At this one house, the guy showing me the ropes pulled me back and said "Not that one!"  I asked why not, and he pointed at the black people in the garden.  I asked if it was company policy that we didn't sell to black people - to which he replied "Well, it's not official, but they just wouldn't pass the credit check."

Now, on balance, having spent a year in Oz, I know that there are plenty of people that aren't racist.  But, I've spent 34 years in the UK, and I've encountered racism a few times.  In 1 year in Oz, I encountered it a lot.  Enough for it to stick in my mind.

Banana farmers in Queensland who compared the local Aborigines to wild dogs.

The bus driver on Maggie Island that spent a 30-minute journey telling about 30 highly racist jokes.

Tourists on the Gold Coast trying to sympathise with me about the overcrowding in the UK being due to asian infiltration.

My girlfriend in Perth explaining to me how Aborigines were sub-human.

The truck driver in Brisbane who figured that there was an asian invasion of his homeland that should be stopped.

The Sydney banquet waiter who told me that Aborigines didn't understand the concept of a house, which is why they ate it and burnt it if you gave them one.

A guy who gave me a lift warning me about the wild Aborigines that would cut off your head and eat you if you got out for a pee on a particular section of road.

Young loons in Melbourne hurling racist abuse at the Maori guy that had just given me a lift across two states.

It could be that Oz is no worse than the UK, in terms of racism, and that the people I met were simply more honest about how they felt.  I don't know.  

My personal view is that there is a strong bigotry towards the Aborigine population from a lot of other Australians, who don't even consider it racism.

Howard is correct:  Australia does not have an underlying racism problem.  There's nothing underlying about it at all.

You have seen the 'Dredd & Rico as cadets with helmets off' picture, I take it?

"Lawgiver gone ... only one chance ..."

Oh crap - I should have put this on the SPOILERS thread, I suppose.  Sawwy.

Judge Giant is alive, and wasn't killed by Deathfist (aka Intensivecarefist).

Rico's robo-chin looks like a normal chin.

That's two big controversies put to bed, then.

Asimo's "Three Laws of Robotics"

A robot may not devalue the corporate holdings of Honda or, through inaction...

The hat, and he's shouting something like "Ace, Ace, is that you?"

I guess my brain isn't keyed up for stuff like the frame overlaps guiding me in how to read the page - anyway, it was just a light niggle - it didn't even come close to ruining my enjoyment of the story.  It did break up the flow a bit, and if a little arrow would solve such a problem, I have no problem with that - I've seen them used before and they didn't detract from the storytelling.

Just a bit of minor, and hopefully constructive, criticism.

Well, David Smith (aka Ethan Kostabi) was possessed by a visible monster in 1960 at the start of Safe House.

That hardly sets a precedent across 17 opening scenes.

Well, my new year's resolution of not posting too much is going well *cough*...

::"Isn't there thirty years between the singer being shot and the other murders commencing?"

- Yes, but I think he's extending his natural life-span and cheating death by doing something gory with other people's hearts.  But I don't know.

::"hadn't some godlike being burst in on the 'freedom fighter' dudes"

- By the time he arrived, they'd all scarpered.  He only witnessed the aftermath.

And (a pedant writes) it was Incident On Mayger Minor (490-496).

::"when Zenith & Peter St John do not exist" ... and the lloigor don't turn everyone into clapping-hands-heads.

:)

(As for the cheese thing, I'm still in a world of "huh?" - but placing SM's brain in a jar was some kind of creative gift from the heavens.)