Our favourite bits and bobs for the day:
Australia removes stupid laws. “The removal of discrimination against same-sex couples from 85 federal laws is a formality after the last of the changes passed the Senate last night” says The Age. I’m not sure why a sub-editor thought ‘Another win for gays’ was a good headline, but still, a win for all Australians.
The 10-year-old bullfighter. Michelito is only 10 years old, but he’s already a star bullfighter who has killed over 160 calves. Whatever you think of the sport, the outfit is adorable.
Ice skating in the wild. Unlike our tiny indoor rinks here in Australia, Austrians are able to skate out on epic frozen lakes, writes the Guardian. Dutch skaters also descend on the country in winter for a 200km skating race called the Elfstedentocht. Flickr has a few good photos here (especially this one).
ATM bandits. If the Westpac ATM lady drives you nuts, this story may please you: masked men have blown up three ATMS in Sydney this morning… presumably for the money, rather than the opportunity to wipe that smug, over-the-top ‘would you like a receipt?’ pose off the screen forever, but I can dream.
It’s a long way to the top in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s first all-girl band, The Accolade, are breaking all sorts of laws in the name of rock ‘n roll, but the group have developed an underground following, despite not being allowed to play or practise in public. Check out their Myspace here. Although the music is really more on the nu-metal side of things, this is easily the most punk rock thing I’ve seen in ages.
After 17 years, the Chinese aren’t so interested in Chinese Democracy. Guns n’ Roses’ ridiculously over-hyped album Chinese Democracy has finally been released, but has been given the thumbs-down in China. Not because the band hasn’t actually been relevant since the early ’90s (though let’s be honest here, they had a member with a KFC bucket on his head), but because the name is bothering both fans and officials.
Ever wondered why all of Nickelback’s songs all sound the same? Because they are.
