Update: And of course the follow-up video (thanks to Brian of London and Jono Rose)

More here.

Welcome to the Twitter generation, Tony.

Update: No word on what Michael Douglas thinks, but Dolly Parton is a fan.

She’s tiny, shiny, and a big fan of one Australian man: Anthony Albanese.

Teetering on transparent heels, the rhinestone cowgirl Dolly Parton giggled and posed while wooing the Australian media this morning.

“Y’all want to take some pictures?” she boomed. Down went the microphone, up went the hair, and she sauntered across the stage in a gold patchwork suit, covered in pearls.
She was quick to send her love to the federal Transport Minister.

“I have some people I want to thank,” she said, ripping a piece of paper out of her cleavage. “You thought these were boobs? they’re just paper wads.

“I want to especially thank Anthony Albanese,” she said.

 ”He was so good to make sure we got my buses here … now I don’t know if he’s here today, but if he is, you can come up here and I’ll smear lip gloss all over you.”

Parton travels and lives in a 14.5-metre bus when she is on tour, with a second similar sized vehicle to provide back-up.

But she was told her two assets were too big by Customs, before the Transport Minister intervened.

SIR ZELMAN COWEN, the governor-general picked to heal the nation after the bitter divisions following Sir John Kerr’s 1975 dismissal of the Whitlam government, has died aged 92.

Sir Zelman died on the 34th anniversary of his swearing in as governor-general, suffering an illness at his Toorak home. His wife, Anna, was by his side.

One of Australia’s most distinguished constitutional lawyers and academics, Sir Zelman was appointed to the vice-regal post by Malcolm Fraser in 1977. Critics said the role had been politicised by the controversial sacking but he won respect from both sides.

Last night, Mr Fraser said Sir Zelman ”restored Australia’s faith in the office of governor-general”.

”He took over the position at a more difficult time than any other governor-general and served in the role with great distinction,” Mr Fraser said. ”He worked extremely hard to see as much as he could and to talk to as many Australians as possible.”

Mr Fraser said Sir Zelman also made enormous contributions to academia and universities.

Born in Melbourne in 1919, Sir Zelman, who was Jewish, was educated at Scotch College and Melbourne University.

He went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He became dean of law at Melbourne University, and later vice-chancellor of the University of New England and then Queensland University.

Despite his weighty career, which included stints at US universities and advising foreign governments on legal matters, he also had a popular touch, appearing on panel programs in the early years of television.

After 4½ years at Yarralumla he became provost of Oriel College Oxford from 1982 to 1990. Back in Australia, he was a member of the board of Fairfax, which publishes the Herald, including a period as chairman. Among his many interests he was patron of the St Kilda Football Club.

In later life he suffered from Parkinson’s disease, which he described as ”a cruel and perverse sort of thing”.

A Jewish community leader, Mark Leibler, said Sir Zelman was ”one Australia’s greatest Jews” and a man whose advice and guidance was sought frequently.

He is survived by his wife and four children – Simon, Nick (Yosef), Kate and Ben – 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Sir Zelman was also an ardent Zionist who once said if Israel had been destroyed in the Six Day War, “it would have destroyed me as a person.” His son Yosef lives in Jerusalem.

While not a religiously observant person, he once said:

“I’m proud of my religious heritage. I find it difficult to believe that there is not some original creator. What flows from that I don’t know. I try to live decently, contribute decently, not because of sanctions of heaven or hell, but because that’s the right way.”

 Baruch Dayan HaEmet.

Added fail: A commenter to the video writes:

Im one of the Israeli employees that were there, u increased our sales so much that we had one of our best days for many years, Please come every day!!!
Ausies actually came to the cart just to suppurt us and try our products while the protest was on, maybe next time you will do better

First, there’s this from Australia:

THE Palestinian ambassador to Australia has condemned attacks by activists on Israeli businesses and thrown his support behind a controversial visit to the University of Sydney next week by Israeli academics.

Izzat Abdulhadi, head of the General Delegation of Palestine to Australia, said yesterday he did not support a full-scale boycotts, divestment and sanctions campaign designed to isolate and delegitimise Israel, and was scathing about recent BDS-inspired protests outside the Max Brenner chain of shops, which are Israeli-owned. “BDS is a non-violent process and I don’t think it’s the right of anybody to use BDS as a violent action or to prevent people from buying from any place,” Mr Abdulhadi said of the Max Brenner protests, which have occasionally turned violent.

“(The BDS) is also sensitive to the Jewish people (because) in 1937 their businesses in Europe were boycotted.”

 …Mr Abdulhadi said he favoured a limited boycott of goods produced in Israeli settlements on the West Bank, because those settlements harmed the establishment of a Palestinian economy.

“Our objective is to build our own state, not to delegitimise any other state,” he said.

“We recognise Israel.”

Mr Abdulhadi opposed calls for the cancellation of the Israel Research Forum, due to be held at the University of Sydney next Monday, at which local experts will exchange ideas with Israeli leaders in fields including neuroscience and tissue regeneration.

He noted a similar exchange with Arab scholars was scheduled at the university for next year.

“This is Sydney University’s decision and we support that position, but it should be even-handed and there is another forum next year allowing all parties to present their own views and not to be biased to one side,” he said.

The Australian revealed yesterday that Jake Lynch, the head of the university’s Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, had written to deputy vice-chancellor John Hearn calling for the forum to be scrapped because, he said, it was a PR exercise for Israel, did not include any Palestinian representation, included institutions linked to Israel’s military and would turn off Muslim students.

Mr Abdulhadi said this was not the official Palestinian position. “We encourage professional co-operation between Palestine, Australia and Israel,” he said.

“This is my message to Australians. We don’t mind this close friendship with Israel. It’s a plus for us Palestinians, as it means Australia can play an even-handed and balanced role between the two parties and challenge Israel on certain issues of international law.”

And there’s this from Israel:

85% of Palestinian residents in the West Bank are interested in cooperation with Israel, according to a survey by Geocartography Knowledge ahead of the regional cooperation conference, chaired by Minister of Galilee and Negev Development Silvan Shalom.

The survey examined Palestinian attitudes about cooperation with Israel. It found that as Palestinians’ geographical proximity and familiarity with Israel increased, there was greater willingness to cooperate, and vice versa.

The survey asked 1,000 people living between Jenin and Hebron whether they were interested in joint projects with Israel in several fields, including humanitarian aid, emergencies (such as rescue teams in case of fires or earthquakes), sewage, water, and electricity, as well as social issues, such as exchanges of youth delegations and soccer games.

In other words, there are many palestinians who oppose the BDS-holes, their tactics and their goals.

Not that I think this will make a difference. I suspect the BDS-holes hate Israel – not to mention working – so much, we’ll be seeing them in their off-key flash mobs for some time to come.

Previously on Israellycool: Palestinian Ambassador To South Africa Admits BDS-Holes Oppose Peace

Meanwhile, here are the BDS-holes against which the good guys were protesting (the Bad and the Ugly).

These people are in huge need of a clue. Not to mention a shower.

Here’s the video. It is worth watching the whole thing to see exactly how journalist Eric Campbell tries to manipulate the viewer.

Of note:

• A palestinian activist called Cairo Arafat. Sounds to me like her namesake, her family’s from Egypt.
• Cairo Arafat speaking of a two-state solution, despite the clear chants of “From the River to the Sea” (i.e. one state called Palestine supplanting Israel) by her fellow palestinians
• Palestinian workers celebrating with their Jewish bosses, prompting Campbell to editorialize “it did feel slightly played up for the benefit of our camera”
• Eric Campbell asking the pro-palestinian Israeli “Are you anti Zionist”, followed by “Are you antisemitic?”
• Arab-Israeli Member of Knesset Ahmed Tibi speaking of apartheid. I repeat: Arab Israeli Member of Knesset Ahmed Tibi.

By the way, is there a BDS requirement that at least one member have colored hair, and at least a few look like they are the offspring of family members who got too close to each other on a cold winter’s night (perhaps while sipping on hot chocolate)?