Putin dismisses parliament - Let's fly Jetstar!

In what is one of many unexpected moves, Russian President Vladimir Putin interrupted the afternoon programmes on the telly to inform his countrymen that he had just sacked the entire Russian Parliament mere weeks after he was elected for a second term as President! 

In Australia Qantas launched it's budget airline, Jetstar with fares from Sydney to Melbourne as low as 60 bucks! Who cares about legroom and checked baggage with those 2004 prices?!?!?

Sadly there were more terror attacks taking place this time 20 years ago, this time in the Phillipines, where lots of cultures and beliefs co-exist. Superferry 14 was bombed en route form Manilla to Bacolod City resulting in the deaths of 116 people and many others injutred or missing as they leapt from the burning ship into the ocean.

We have some terrible music this week thanks to the band Busted who's commit a crime agains music with their UK number one song 'Who's David?'. Thankfully JC Chasez from NSync releases his surprisingly good and diverse solo album to make up for it. 

In the middle of all that we had Kids Bop 5, a roundup of pop hits performed with kids released... Let's just say the son choices are questionable at best and at their worst, down right inappropriate. 

In entertainment Julia Roberts stars in Mona Lisa Smile with Kirsten Dunst and Julia Stiles and Ben Affleck picks up the Golden Raspberry for his flop with Jennifer Lopez, Gigli. Plus we had the final episode of Sex and The City airing on HBO...

There's a little bit more too if you care to listen! Please and thank you!

Hang with us on socials to chat more noughties nostalgia - Facebook (@tminus20) or Instagram (tminus20podcast). You can also contact us there if you want to be a part of the show.

Transcript

Transcript is generated automatically

The year is 2004. Your polyphonic ringtone habit is sending you broke. George W Bush is sworn in for a second term, and in spite of everything going on, the most controversial thing is a wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl. T -, 20 rewind 20 years with Joe and Mel. 

Week of 22 February 2004. 

-20, you know what? I'm very forgetful 20. Hello. 

The rest is history. 

Stop trying to make fetch happen. 

You're fired. 

This is harder than I thought. 

It would be. Let's roll. 

My fellow Americans. 

Let's roll into another week of T -, 20, the podcast where we talk about all things that happened this week in history 20 years ago. We rewind to this week in history 20 years ago, I almost forgot what the old tag was when we started that and I got a bit confused. I was using the. Old old thing for the intro and then I remember the new thing halfway through and now I'm onto that thing with your host. Joe and Mel. Have I done that part? 

Yes, yes, you. 

You got there in the end. I I think yes, we're there, team -20. Looking at the 22nd to the 28th of February 2004. 

Fancy a great coffee with jet stars all day everyday low fares you can fly to Melbourne from just $69. 

Imagine being able to fly to Melbourne for $69. Wow. 

Yes, big news in the aviation industry this week, 20 years ago. 

Wow. Was that like high five or the wiggles doing a Stacey Oriko song. 

A very special compilation was released. 

Controversial I think. I don't know why there wasn't more of a fuss. 

To be wrong, yeah. 

Made about it. It really is, and it went on for a very long time. Like not, we're talking like volume. What is it, 14 or 15? 

Five. Ohh. 

Well, I know from the. Research when I was doing it that it went on to 14 or 15. We'll talk about look. 

We'll talk about it later. 

Ohh my God, that sounds wonderful. 

Are we gonna find? Out who? David is. Do we care who David is? I don't think we care. 

I don't know. I don't. After hearing that I don't actually wanna do this show anymore. 

I don't know what's. 

Worse, the kid singing all. 

Or some whiny emo guy going here. 

That one me name it. 

Oh, strap yourselves in, folks. It's gonna be a. 

Great show. Yeah, sure, it is something that's happened that I didn't think happened anymore. Yeah, recently. Contacting books used. Ohh yeah, do it when we're at school. The start of the school year you go and get your contact. You'd stuff it up because you'd get air bubbles and all kinds of things stuck underneath and you'd be stuck with it for the whole year. And I didn't think that you did that anymore. I thought that was a. Thing of the past. 

Well, no. Well, see the other thing, Mel is you and I are late to the parent party like we really are. We're I mean, late bloomers across the board. Maybe. I don't know. I certainly was anyway. But like, we're also late to the parent party. So we had kids pretty late for a kid. I don't have another one. Just so you know, don't stress. 

Ohh good. Thanks for. Who's David? Ohh, great. Are we gonna meet David tonight? Surprise. This is your life. 

My son. No, no. We're no, no. We're not. We're not. We're not. He's a guy named thought. It's the lights of the parent party. And there's this thing that happens right where nobody tells you anything. Like nobody tells you anything. It's like, hey, I've got kids and and it it it or or, you know, we're gonna have a kid. It's like congratulations. And. And the only thing anyone ever says to you is you. 

And they leave it at that. And then they walk away into the sunset, they. Wait for what? What? 

Yeah, they give. You less they have some kind of knowledgeable look in their eyes and then they don't tell you a damn thing. And the latest thing that we haven't been told is the fact that you. 

What's gonna happen? 

Please please. 

Have to contact school. Books. Of course you do. I mean, I had to do it when I. Was a kid I never thought of it. 

I didn't think they did it anymore because a lot of the kids are working off tablets and laptops and I I didn't think you even had textbooks. You know, I thought it. 

Was the future? Yeah. Well, I did too. I'm not mad about it though. Like I'm not mad about it. I'm. I'm a black belt in contacting, so there's a couple of things that I do. 

You enjoy it. 

That I do find quite therapeutic and soothing if it is executed to perfection, and one thing that I've really enjoyed recently is putting the screen protectors on mobile phones and iPads. 

Yeah, but you spend a good four hours doing it. 

That's just thinking about it. The actual procedure and the operation itself takes me seconds, but I'm I need to. Where I need to extract all the dust out of the room and it it takes a lot. I basically have to clean the whole House exactly because I can't do it. I can't do it. I remember I remember actually I was in the Apple Store once and you know how they do the covers for you. And yeah. And and and with one of the staff members, there's some young guy he's like. No, I'm really. 

It takes a while. Don't. No fingerprints anywhere clean your surfaces. Ohh, they put the machine right? Yeah. 

Good at this. I'm like are you mate? 

Ohh dear. So you're watching over his shoulder, were you? 

Alright and. And I'm like going cause if there's an air bubble or a hair or anything like that, you're gonna have to. Do it again. We went through 6 screen protectors before we got it right and it was almost to the point. 

Yeah, game over. Wow, did you cry? 

Where I was gonna do it myself so. He he was very stressed. He was very stressed anyway. Contacting books is like the old school version of the Screen Protector. 

Yeah, she. 

Just she ruined him. He resigned that day. Version yes, that's true. My mum used to work in a library and for some reason when they got new books, it was her job to cover them. And at one stage they got a whole lot of new books and she brought them all home and outsourced it to us. And yeah, it didn't go. Very well as. 

The results may vary, yes. 

Fingernails stuck under the contact. 

Oh God. 

Eyelashes bit of Scotch finger. Biscuits. That's what you get. But who cares because. I was never going to see those books again, but the pressures on you because you will see these books again and our son has to live with these books for. 

12 months exactly. So. 

And if there is a hair under. There you will be judged. You'll be judged. 

I'll be taking a little piece of me to school with him every day. I'll always be with you. Yeah, I know, I know. But there's also pressure as well. Well, they also said that you can put pictures under the contact as well, just like. 

Will be judged by the teacher, by the classmates. What was on your work surface, dad? Jeez. Do you have guidelines on what sort of pictures is there rules? 

Oh, it's just within the school parameters like the school values and stuff like that. Like you can't be putting. 

OK. 

I remember back in the day you put pictures of like who was who was Cameron, Daddy's wife, the bikini model, Allison Bray, and Elle Macpherson. Pictures on there and then. 

Ohh gosh. 

Ohh, Alison Bray. Beautiful, beautiful woman. We're not having any Allison Brown on year four song. 

No, I think we'll, no, we could stick to cars. Cars will be good. Cars will be good. But I'm actually looking forward to it. But I, I, I and I used to work in a library as well. The back in I volunteered at the library school and I did that so I wouldn't get bash. 

Ohh yes, I shelved the books and I got to use the date stamp. A few times that was good. 

Really. So. And it's funny because it's not a, it's. Not a skill. Like being good at contacting being a black belt in contact is is it one of those things that's gonna navigate you through the meat grinder that is high school? It's just not gonna help you. 

Come up very often in life. 

Something will help you navigate to the end of the show is the Hatch match and dispatch clue we've. Got a celebrity? Who match? Ohh. This is a match. This is a wedding. 

This is a. 

This is an interesting wedding too, given the current climate, and I'm talking about current climate. When I say current, I mean 2004. 

The 2004 clueless. 

So it's a person who got married this time 20 years. Ago that said this. 

I think it's harder for people to come out who have parents if you don't have parents, and I really didn't have parents. There's no one to tell, you know, you tell. Your little sister. She's like, so, you know, right? It wasn't like a big thing to me, so I always feel bad because. You know, I should have a great coming out story like, oh, I tried to kill myself and I was. In love with the cheerleader, I don't have that. You know, boring. I was driving in the car and 18 I go, I think I'm good. That was it. You know, that's the whole thing right there. I mean, I got a very. 

Right. Yeah, somebody who got married and look, let's for it's a same-sex union. And that was very controversial back in 2004 for a lot of reasons. It was a very hot topic. And as you can probably guess, somebody from the United States of America and that's all we have to say about that, I'll tell. You more. At the end of the show, we'll tell you more at the end of. Joe, not just me. I'm not carrying this whole thing. One I might be doing all the contacting, but I'm not carrying. Interesting news this week and I I didn't have a sound bite for this so we couldn't tease it at the beginning of the show, but it's interesting in the context of what's happening in the world now. Hmm. And the fact that this person is still in power in the particular country that they're the leader of to this day. I think they had a break, but they came back. I can't remember, but as we unfold with more of the shows and more of the years, if we're still going and I'll probably find out and I'll be elated. And and and completely shocked all over again. 

Just a few more emails. You'll have. You'll have the answer 24th of February 2004, President Vladimir Putin is who we're talking. About took a significant. And rather unexpected step by dismissing the entire Russian government, including his Prime Minister, Mikhail Kasnia Kasyanov. 

Kasyanov Kasyanov. 

As you know. As you know, that sounds good. Yeah. The move came shortly after his re election, shortly after his re election for a second term as. 

Keep it kasyanov. President, was it after or before it was us? 

He actually. So no, he'd had one term, and then he was it was on the way for another election coming up. 

But cause there's I I'm sure that yeah, there's another election happening in Russia in March in like mid March, I think 2004. 

Yeah, it wasn't too. Wasn't too far away. So that's why it was quite shocking, he interrupted afternoon programmes on the state TV channel. So just decided to do a broadcast and interrupt wheel of Fortune and Millionaire Hot seat just to tell everyone you. 

Seems like. 

Know I've sacked everyone. 

There was no millionaire hot seed in Russia. He's like. We now interrupt millionaire bread. 

He made the brief announcement that he had sacked the Prime Minister and consequently under the Russian constitution, his entire cabinet, saying that the government's work during the first term had been merely satisfactory. Imagine if it had been unsatisfactory. That's a that's a path satisfactory is a pass. 

I it it's like is there a show about horrible bosses cause I feel like that would be a fantastic you know. 

Should fire everyone for satisfactory. 

Or even imagine tonight on undercover boss Vladimir. 

Fires everybody because their work is satisfactory. 

Yeah. Yeah. Well, that would be that would be the Russian apprentice, wouldn't it? He doesn't just fire them. He'd probably exile them. You go to Siberia now, hmm? Yeah. I've just become one of those guys that does the Russian accent. I hate it when people do that. And I'm doing it. So there you go. Yeah. 

Yeah, I'm doing it and I hope Vladimir is not listening. I apologise, Vladimir. 

I I do apologise. So the decision to sack the government was seen as an attempt by Vlad to assert control and implement reforms ahead of the upcoming Parliament. Country elections now. I believe he was tipped to win this by a landslide for for reasons maybe fair, but possibly foul so that he could basically get some economic and social reforms going and signal a new direction for his. 

I think he was pretty confident. 

Administration as soon as he got back in, he wanted to hit the ground running. 

Following the dismissal, he appointed Michael Fradkov, A relatively unknown figure at the time, as the new Prime Minister. And his appointment was seen as a strategic move by Putin to bring in fresh leadership and possibly to consolidate his own power within the government, yes. 

Fradkov was basically a puppet of Putin. Which was why he did it. So the decision that he made to dismiss the government and was like, Oh my goodness, I cannot believe he interrupted the bread cutshaw for this. I am very surprised. 

I nearly got that phrase over Joe's catch phrase, and now I've forgotten. 

Yes, yes. 

What it was? Thanks, glad. 

Is it? Is it borst? So yeah, so so he. So it allowed him, though to reshuffle his entire cabinet, which is like, it's a masterstroke on his behalf. Like, I can't believe he did it. And then he did it. And it was like, well, he did it so that he could basically set up the Cabinet and his new term for success. He put whoever he want. 

Really. Well, he's always one to make the bold decisions, isn't he? It's not. 

Yeah. Yeah. And so, and this gives him his, you know, ability to pursue his vision for Russia's future. Actually, in next week's episode. 

It's not shy. 

There's some more stuff about Russia that we'll explore and and and the things that they're doing up in the Arctic. If you wanna talk about his vision for Russia's future, he's he's like, Putin's got it in his head. And I think anyone who's been watching, you know, what's happening in the Ukraine and all of that stuff that he is going to restore Russia. Back to its former glory. He wants it to be the superpower it once was, and by golly. You know it. It's a bit scary, but he may actually succeed. I I don't know. He's it's he's a very strange cat. And I think that you listen to a lot of leaders that were around at the time in the early 2000s, like Tony Blair, who, you know, wasn't really in favour with anyone. And he was, you know. George Bush's bestie, and all that sort of stuff. But he's made comments recently that Putin needs to be removed from power immediately. That's very easy for a former Prime Minister to do in retirement anyway. Let's move on to more joyful news on the domestic front for anyone who is keen to travel. From Sydney to Melbourne for $69. 

Fancy a great coffee with jet stars all day everyday low fares you can fly to Melbourne from just $69. Jetstar, all day, everyday low fears. 

When I yeah, it was Magda Sobanski. Remember she? Yeah, she was in character as a hostie. She wasn't a Catholic. She was the Hostie cause. Remember. She's like there's other ads where she's like I'm going to cross the pine today. Jetstar, the new budget airline on the block, the new discount domestic. 

Was that Magda singing? Was she in character as? That's right, yes. 

$59 to Melbourne. It just blows my mind every time I try and look at airfares these days, I nearly have a coronary. 

The public was very excited by the move, welcoming the prospect of more affordable airfares, and we're still, you know, a couple of years after September 11 and all all of the dramas that caused with the airline industry. And I think we found much like now the prices did go up a lot in the wake of that for the airlines that managed to survive. With that. So we were all really excited for affordable airlines. They initially offered highly competitive fares. So super check like 69 bucks and making air travel more accessible to the broader population. They were often heavily discounting their prices and attracting significant attention. And when they officially started flying in May. 2004 they sold 100,000 fares in a single day. 

That's crazy. Crazy. Like I think back in the day, the Murrays bus to Sydney was. 

Yeah, that's a lot of flood. 

20 bucks. 

Ohh yes. 

Like 20 bucks, I think it's good probably. I think it is still probably 20 or 30 bucks. So 69 bucks to Melbourne, like that's fantastic. 

20 or 30. There were doubters. Though in the industry, because we had seen over the years a lot of budget. Airlines and subsidiaries the the low cost subsidiaries of the bigger airlines. 

Well, So what was there before Jetstar? 

Well, Jetstar bought out Impulse Airlines fleet. I caught impulse to Sydney to go and see the Jlo press conference. Impulse Airlines yes, yes, the bumpy right. It's a bumpy Rd. No, but it did make me think of impulse. 

Impulsive ones. 

Did you? And were you wearing impulse at the time as well? I know and it's like the little tin canister. It's like you're travelling in a pressurised can, yeah. 

Yeah, that you weren't allowed to have. At school, they'd let fans. Yes, there was one. That's incense was the one I hated. 

Yeah, yeah. 

They smell like incense. There's a nice fruity one. I've got the Spice Girls. Impulse still. Yeah, it's gone. It's gone, rusty, but I refused to use it up. 

You do that hasn't been sprayed for like. I don't even know what would come out of that. Sorry, we digress. 

Anyway, Impulse airlines, what else? What else was there? There was Ansett had one too, didn't they? 

Answered had a ohh no I can't even remember if they had a budgeted. 

Well, there was Rex and then Rex has come back more recently. What else is there? 

Hmm. Yeah. Look, I don't know the thing with this is the thing with Australian air travel. 

Well, sure, Anne said. Had one, but when's the? 

Yeah, but it's there's just like there's only like, two or three big airlines. I mean these days like Qantas, owns Jetstar doesn't. 

It well, Qantas always did. That was qantas's budget. 

Well, I don't travel much on planes unless it's unless it's a work trip. That's always good. If they do a work trip and I go, I'm a plane for a work trip because it's the only time you can really afford it these days. 

Yes, initially you could catch a jet star only on domestic routes within Australia, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Over time it expanded its network to include international destinations in the Asia Pacific, Bali, Singapore, Tokyo. And the big thing about Jetstar was it introduced us to the concept of what they refer to as ancillary ancillary ancillary revenue which. 

So there's, in other words, there's a catch. 

It's a very different business model to Qantas. You wanna check a bag? That'll be extra. You want a white chocolate macadamia cookie and water and something resembling a Jelly. 

Yeah, yeah. 

Cup that will cost you of. Getting ****** on a jet star flight to Bali. 

Well, that's gonna be a bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But given all the other people that are travelling on a budget airline to Bali, the only way to travel there is to be. 

Very pricey. The only way to get? 

Drunk, yeah. 

Yes, that's true. And you wanna watch the Lizzie McGuire movie? 

Ohh yeah. 

$800 thanks. Something like that, I don't know, but it is it is it? It does add up if you want those extras. 

Well, yeah, it's, you know. You're gonna throw all the extras on so otherwise it's just you've just gotta sit in the. 

Chair and at first people were a bit off, fronted by that, they're like, well, no, where's all the the bells and whistles? And a lot of people ended up going back to Qantas they didn't like. 

Because they wanted to check their bags. I mean these days. 

Paying for the extras. 

There's there's a lot to be said for travelling light and just not checking bags in and just trying to fit everything in your carry-on, especially if you're going on a short trip cause by golly, I've heard some horror stories, especially since the airlines have started up post COVID of just like. 

Well, losing things. 

Really bad experiences with baggage handling bags going missing so people will be at their destination and it's a domestic flight, so they're probably only at the destination for two or three days and the bag shows up a week later. You know, it's just, just not good. And I'm not saying whether it's just star or Qantas or any of you. You can figure that out for yourself. Go and. Different and I think Jetstar has got a reputation though these days of being a budget airline and you get what you pay. 

For what was the really budget one tiger. 

Ohh tiger yeah, Tiger's still around. Yeah. 

Does that still exist? That's the one where the the plane just doesn't go. You show up in the. No, we're not doing that flight anymore. 

But but but this. 

Is the thing though. Like this is even happening with big carriers at the moment domestically, like you can book yourself on a flight months in advance and you'll show up on the day. And this has happened to heaps of people I know. And it's like, Nah, we're not going now. You'll have to wait until the next flight. Now, if you're and I'm really nervous about it, cause we're going to a concert in Melbourne, like, later this year. And I'm like, well, we're gonna fly down for that. I'm saving my pennies, and it's gonna be a bit of an extravagant thing and lovely family trip. 

69 bucks on Jetstar? 

Unfortunately not. Yeah, six. We'll just go down there and have a coffee and come back. But like, I'm nervous because obviously I wanna fly down in the morning and, you know, just spend the day in the city and chill out. And and then be ready for the concert at 7:00 at night. But I'm. I've got this thing in the back of my mind, based on all the horror stories I've heard. And I've got this anxiety about. 

Ohh, the plane doesn't fly. 

Them going ohh yeah. No, we're not. We could put. 

No, not so they don't feel. 

You on another. Like it? Yeah. Like, what happened when did? 

It it was happening a lot in the sort of COVID era when the airlines were back up and running because they didn't have staff because you had to isolate. Yeah. And and that was a big problem in terms. Of pilots and crew and all of that stuff during COVID due to illness, but I don't know what the deal. 

Is now. Yeah, I I wonder if it's a rostering thing. Like quite often, you know, pilots can only do a certain amount of hours as well, so they can get to a destination. And if there's delays and stuff and they've been rostered on for too long, they cannot. They're not allowed to under regulations fly another plane. Maybe that's got something to do with it. I don't know. I just I I it it. It just feels like there's been a a huge decline in customer service across the that entire industry. 

You know what? There needs to be service investigation. 

Sure. I just don't have any music to support that. 

You can put it. 

In later. Well, I yeah. But like also I feel. Like at this stage, if you could find a box big enough to fit yourself in and a couple of freight stickers, you'd be better off sending. Yourself as a parcel with this information. Let's move to the 27th of February. This is not a very pretty story. At all. A terrorist bombing in the Philippines on of the Super Ferry, which was it was the Super Ferry 14 in fact, and it was a passenger ferry that was on route for from Manila to Bacolod City when it was bombed by members of the Islamist extremist group Abu Sayyaf. 

The bomb. Exploded in the middle of the knots while the ferry was sailing in the region of Manila Bay. It resulted in a massive fire that engulfed the vessel, leading to the deaths of at least 116 people. Many others injured and you know in the water at night, lots of people obviously missing as well. And it was one of the deadliest terrorist incidents in the Philippines history. 

It was now Leandro Mendoza was the Filipino transportation and communications secretary at the time. He initially denied that this was a terror attack. 

Yeah, you've seen that. How you know how strict we are on security, particularly supports especially to port. In the involved in the involved nothing among security measures. 

So. So you're not taking this claim? 

Seriously, until see such evidence. 

I'm not we we are not. Yeah. Yeah. As I've said that this is perfect. And I mean, it is. This is an accident, you know, in initial findings, I mean. But of course I had. I had requested already the arson investigator from the Bureau of Fire. And then of course, the scene of the crime operations. Investigators from the from the police. 

So he's saying it's an accident. He's he's he's. 

I thought it was just a fire. 

Yes, that the sound bite is he's talking at the press. Difference and he's going in between English and Tagalog. So it's. Yeah. So he gets so, like he's he goes off and he starts talking about stuff. And then like, where's he going? And he lose, he loses you and then he comes back to English. It was very confusing. But so Abu Sayyaf had admitted it and he was like, no, no, it's like we've got too much security at the ports. It was a fire. Of course, even though they like, I don't think there's any credence to their claims. I'm gonna investigate it, but I don't think they did it anyway. They did do it. And they are based in the southern Philippines. They claimed responsibility. It was then proven that they did do it, that they had a history of carrying out kidnappings, bombings, all other sorts of acts of violence in the. Area and pursuing their goal of establishing an independent Islamic state in the region, and it's a bit of a melting pot because there's a combination of all sorts of cultures around that area back to the actual bombing itself, though. So the bomb goes off, the ship catches fire, and then people are are, like you said, bailing out. There there wasn't enough lifeboats to support the amount of people that were on the Super far. Worry. And that's when I had to make a choice. Well, do I wait for a life boat or do I take my chances and jump into the water in the dark like it's it's not. It's not an easy decision to make. I mean, what else are you gonna do? It's either that or I'm gonna burn to death. But it was a it was a really horrible incident. I do remember it being all over the news. 

What a decision, yeah. 

And it's not the first Super ferry disaster. And it certainly wasn't going to be the last Super ferry disaster that happened in the Philippines around that time. Change of pace, thank goodness. 

Yes, it was a bit doom. And gloom, wasn't it? 

Yeah. Well, it's gonna happen from time to time when you talk about news and that's what happens when we front load the podcast with news. Unfortunately, hopefully people are still around listening. 

Let's jump on over to the Billboard charts. The top five in the US was this. 

To meet your daddy. That's what I found out. 

Yeah, yeah. 

Wood, wood. 

Yeah, yeah. 

Take that, rewind it back. 

Ohh boy ohh boy. Usher is at the top of the charts this week with yeah slow jams in at #2. I like the way you move outcast at #3 me myself and I Beyoncé and #4 and hey are slowly slipping down the. 

The house. 

Chart with hey. Yeah. You know what's funny about this? And it's only funny for me. Do you ever have that thing where sometimes you suffer from insomnia and you just keep running the line from a song over and over in your head? It's stuck. I mean, everyone gets song. 

Ohh no, I'm usually really playing the day going. What stupid things have I said today? Who have I offended? 

Stuck in there. So because I've been doing production for the podcast. It's slow. Jams has been stuck in my head, but it's only been that. 

Flying jams. 

That's like the worst of the five. 

Yeah, but it's only the the line and so it's the line on repeat to Marvin Gaye. The little fan really set this party off, right, and that's all I have. Yeah. And and that's all I have in my head and. 

Los Angeles. 

I was in. 

The land that they're saying. Oh, thanks for clarifying. So just that grab from the robot. 

Over and over thousands of times. And then I start to have this inner monologue with myself. Am I a sociopath? Is this normal? Is this normal behaviour or is there actually something wrong with me? And should I either check myself into something? Or perhaps, you know, seek further help because I don't even know myself anymore after having slow jams going over and but only that like cause I. 

Before you. Write this up. 

But it's a it's a. 

I have never heard the song in full ever. 

It's a slow song I would have thought it would be quite soothing and helping you to help you get off to sleep. I would be relaxing like yeah, it would keep you. 

It's hideous. It's hideous. I. Awake. So it happened this week, right? It happened to me this week, early in the week, and it took me 3 days to get it out of my head. And now? 

And then when you were walking, were you walking to the beat of it when you're? 

Awake. I don't. I can't. I don't have that kind of rhythm. I, but it was certainly playing over and over again in my head. It was horrible. It was horrible. And you know what? I I don't think. I don't think it's a great song. I think it's a fairly horrible song. 

It's not. It's that so to say it's the. Worst one out of the five, so that's disappointing. 

Yeah. And it's it's and I think it's about as horrible as the number one song in the UK this week as well. 

Be sure me down. 

Your son. 

Isn't that just the biggest piece of you've? Ever heard in your life? 

Busted with who's David? 

And I mean, if he's. 

Questioning her cause, the song is about a girl who's unfit. 

If you question like his name and it'll be. 

More like who's David? 

You know what I mean? The Inflexions all wrong. He. David. I'm gonna go and. 

I just. 

The song the song is basically. 

Hang out with David, since you're just too wingy. 

This this person is in in cell, right? The person who wrote this is an in cell. They are basically slight shaming. A woman that they cannot because they are not man enough to achieve the they can't land this this chick they can't do it. 

No, I think it was his girlfriend and she was cheating with Davis. She was unfaithful. 

The lyrics you've always been this way since high school, flirtatious and quite loud. Find your sense of humour, spiteful. It shouldn't make you proud. And I know you're pretty face. Gets far with guys, but your makeup ain't enough to hide the lies. Are you sure that you're mine? Aren't you dating other guys? Look, why are you going out with this person if you're just bad? They're in the full first. I'm. I'm looking it up. It's. Yes, I. 

And why do you? Know the words to this song. OK, you sure you. Sure, this wasn't stuck in your head in. The middle of the night. 

He's David. 

Could you imagine walking around here and that the entire time it's just like it's so weird? It's very strange. I don't know what would spawn this in like. I mean again, am I a sociopath? I'm walking around having slow jams on repeat in my brain, but I. 

Well, you. 

OK. 

Find this very strange like it ends with the line. Don't like you don't know you. I'm like, what are you trying to say? You're trying to break me into pieces. This is the other. Lyrics here I say David. My life be a man. Wow. Be a man. That's all I'm saying. 

The second single from their second studio album, and it was their third, their third number one single, the only one I remember is the what I go for, what I go to school for. 

That that first single was terrible as well. Wasn't the the other one was like and I'm glad I stopped the wedding or I'm glad I crashed the wedding. So, you know, on one hand they're like, well, I'm glad that I ruined somebody else's relationship, but then. 

Crashed the wedding. Crashed the. 

Like there's a person that I don't like that I'm gonna slot shame as well like these guys. 

Are alright. Well, let's move on to the Australian number. Let's cancel it out. Noisy. What about me? You're still #1 here in Australia. 

That's probably a good idea. Yes, yes, there's a real man. You won't see him walking around. Going. Who's David? 

He did ARM day today. He had a picture up of his shoulders. Yes, yes, very muscular he is. I know. 

Really. I mean stuff. He he's he's jacked Shannon Hall, but he's. 

He really he's he's like he reminds me of, you know, those Kangaroos, they're really Jack Kangaroos. He reminds me of those. 

Nice, yeah. Ohh yeah yeah, he does it. He looks like a muscular kangaroo Reese tax. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 

He really does. And I think he's gotta come back. There's there was some. He was teasing. A big announcement on the Insta. 

Yeah, he'll be careful that he doesn't drag your dog into a dam and try and drown it. 

I know. Yes, well noisy wouldn't do that. He loves animals. He loves it. He would. He'd fight the kangaroo with his bare hands and he'd win. 

No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't. He'd rescue the dog from the kangaroo. Of course, yes, he would. What was that other song? Ohh, you've got to lift. Yeah. See, this is. That's why he's. Yeah, that. 

Yes, he does. Lifts all day, every day. 

He's so jacked cause he's got a lift. 

Yes, I might. Go and look at him on Insta. You know things. 

Well, he's still number one in Australia, so we don't need to. 

Good, great. 

Play him again. What's this other? Is there an album or? A #1. What's this is this is it. 

Ohh, there's a massive album release and we've we've spoken about this before, but it is nice to revisit. 

So you know that I'm not a pop guy, right? Like, I'm not a pop. 

Guy, you know how you were talking about having slow jam stuck in your head? I had the one of the songs of this album stuck in my head for at least a month after we talked about it last. I mean, I wasn't upset. Yeah. 

Yeah, no. Look, I'm not a pop guy. I kind of like this guy cause he's trying to. He's he's still a pop guy, but he's trying to do something. 

I liked it. That is something different, yes. 

Different with his pop, yeah. 

JC chase. Yeah, here's album schizophrenic about this. No, no. 

It's a really it doesn't stand the test of time, you know, I mean we we we have we don't kind of make light of mental illness these days. It just doesn't it was and I I get why he had the title schizophrenic. 

It's a different time, different time, early early 2000s. Because it was. He was. He was experimenting with different styles and different attitudes so. It was very it was a very diverse album. Nothing sounded the same and and that's. 

Yeah, like No2 songs sound the same. 

That's kind of worry anyway, still. Yeah, probably want to change that. So after *NSYNC went on hiatus, well, they broke up, but no one knew they broke up except for Justin, who broke them up. But they were all waiting for Justin to come back. He was like. 

Right. Hmm. Hmm. 

To come back. Yeah. And then the Super Bowl's happened and all that. So it's interesting that he's released this like a few weeks. After that incident, actually, we'll come back to that. 

Ohh good. 

He teamed up with producer. Yeah, you should have Dallas Austin to record this. 

Should have probably read the notes, sorry. 

Song blowing me up with her love. Have you got? It cause I really like this song. 

Yes, yes. 

I really like that that was on. With Tara Reid in the. Video clip. 

Yeah, I didn't really like the video clip, but he's doing different things. He's even like for a for a pop song that's quite avant garde. He's messing around with time signatures. 

I like. Yeah, I do like that I do like. 

Yeah. Yeah. Hmm. 

That's a little. Bit out of. Whack. It was for the movie drumline, so he recorded it as a single for the movie and it did OK when he released it. So then he decided to work on an album because Ohh well. 

Oh really? 

We're still waiting for Justin. I don't know if. 

We're broken up. Or not? 

Might as well do an. 

Album. Yeah, the other thing like, you've got that song, but the other song that he did all day long, I think it's is it all day long. I think it's just called all day long and it but that's more of a like a brick pop kind of vibe. A Brit pop rock kind of vibe. 

All night long, I take all that time. 

No2 songs sound the same. It's very good. 

And that's what he was saying. And he was saying it's gritty, it's noisy, it's not like anything he's done before, the producer said. It was a throwback to George Michael and Prince and that 80s era. I I probably wouldn't go that far. 

Do you know if it was? If it was, I feel like he was a little bit ahead of his time. I I think if he a he can't call the album schizophrenic. But if he had have put the album out. These days I think it would have been more successful than what it was back then. 

Well, I stand by my. Idea that I floated last year. I think 20 year anniversary. He should re release it with a new title. He should acknowledge that that title's not appropriate. 

Just like JC the second coming. 

Good. Perfect. Perfect. That's perfect. 

I mean the thing that's that's a bit cliche, like Faith No More than the second coming to a, you know. 

But he he's upset the Christians. I don't know how big he's Christian fan base is, but I think now is the perfect time, right? Because it's the 20 year anniversary. He was robbed. We know the story because when when he was putting this album. Out it was delayed. I think it was delayed three times and the record company was pushing Timberlake, pushing Timberlake then. 

Chris Timberlake put his album out. And they're on the same label, that's. Right. Yes, yeah. 

Drive and they then decide to release this a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl incident. 

Yeah, which is so. 

And so he lost a lot of publicity because of the Super Bowl incident. They had absolutely nothing to do with him. But then. 

No, the record company are too busy going into damage control for their their cash cow that they're. 

So there was no backing and promo to the extent that that there should. Have been. And it didn't. It didn't go as as well as expected, so I think. Now, right. So they were in trolls last year, yeah. So there was this big *NSYNC come back, everybody loved it and and was so excited. 

Ohh, that trolls movie. I had to go. And watch that. 

We all hate Justin Timberlake now. 

I had to go to to my nieces birthday party to watch trolls is. 

Did you hear, Jay? Did you? Was there any? 

I I heard them all in there. 

You heard JC, she say. Did you know? Which one he was? I think he would have. I think he would have recognised his voice because he is the better singer, so right he's he's had the comeback in trolls. 

I don't know. 

We all hate Justin Timberlake now. Yeah, particularly after the Brittany book. And I'm sure that everyone's gonna hate him again. Because of the Super Bowl. Release it with a new title, put your own money behind it. Get on the socials, upload some things to the youtubes. 

Through it. Yeah. Yeah, I think he. I think he should too. I. 

It'd be great. I think you should. 

Think he should? 

I'll help you market it JC. 

Just don't do anything with trolls. Stay away from the troll movie. I I think that. Yeah. Justice for JC March 23rd. 2003 was the episode that we did, so it was about a year ago. 

Ohh yes, because we had our *NSYNC subject matter expert Christina from ready. 

That's right, yes. 

To fall podcast. She's now Christina, the vintage millennial on the socials, and she's still doing a whole lot of great and sing fronten. She knows it all. 

Oh really? She she was crazy about it, saying I'm scared to say anything bad about dancing because I do not want to face her. Right, exactly. 

So did you get the the rest? 

OK, what else have we got we got? 

Another album we have a compilation album I look usually I love a compilation album because the beauty of the compilation album is like, Yeah, Back in the day when you bought a full CD of one artist, there's usually two good songs and the rest are generally crap. Most of the time. So a compilation is great because odds are you probably. 

Yeah, yeah. 

Like about 5 songs as opposed to two. So I always get excited for a compilation, but not so much for this one Kidz BOP 5. 

Yeah. So this is an album that's not original artist, do you? Remember back in the day back in I think it was like late 80s, mid to late 80s, they would release compilation albums, but they were not original artists. They were covers so. 

Like what they play in the gym to? 

Get around. Yeah. Yeah. Like what? They like what they do on the Les Mills videos. Yeah. Yeah. So it's not original artists. It's somebody else performing. It's it's. And it's not quite an inferior pirate copy. 

APRA. When? Do the Les mills covers. 

That's so annoying that really annoying. 

I definitely love seeing you. 

I don't remember that. 

Yeah, I've there was lots of albums that they did that with. And and Kidz BOP 5 is no exception. I thought it was 14. I'm sure there is a 14 team. 

That's dumb. It's my formed by adult musicians doing the lead vocals and then a chorus of kids singing back up. 

To the song. So my question with this is. Who is the target audience? Kids. Well, in that in that case, the track selection is a little dubious. 

Well, didn't we? We dug up one of the commercials, didn't we? Let's. Have a listen. 

I love listening to a bunch of kids singing the pop songs I loathe. Said no one ever. Well, 30 of today's hottest songs murdered by a bunch of preteens conditioned by reality television dreaming of taking the American Idol stage right. 

Kids ball. 

They're so. Bob doesn't stop because Jesus is in Christ. We're up to #5, including such child appropriate songs like. That's right, kids. Feel free to accept candy from strangers and leave with them anytime you like. How about this reflective bought by Stacy Orrico. 

Chasing down every temporary. 

No, there's more, don't you worry. Receding hair lines, menopause, death, taxes and the cost of living prices. What about this one? But the Madden brothers important life lesson about every relationship being. Based on the line there, kids. And what about this banger from trapped? Mum, dad. Call this toll free number now and you'll be bopping along with your snotty little in no time. Kidz Bop 5, please. Please, can we make the Bob stop? Ohh boy, make the bump stop. Let's go to the the box office now. Number one in the US is still the Adam Sandler Drew Barrymore film 51st days. But we got a new number one at the Australian box. Office, which is. This is dead poet society for cheats. Sorry, I haven't seen this film, but when I was looking at the trailer it. 

Looked pretty good. Did it Mona Lisa's smile? I I haven't seen it either. 

It's got a it's got a stacked cast. Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal. Like what's not to like about it. 

Catherine Watson, Magna Caminade UCLA Dean's list, published in the art review. Excellent recommendations. 

Review I can assure all of you this is the place I want to be more. 

Than anything. 

They were the brightest students in the country. 

Be careful, they can smell fear. 

This is history of art. Can anyone tell me what this? 

Wounded bison, Erica. 

Hasn't couple clowing. You've got a 1600 BC. 

Well, you girls do prepare. 

But in a world of wealth and privilege, getting an education. 

Have the Harvard sweetheart design. 

It says that you are pre law. After I graduate, I plan on getting. Married and then. And then I'll be married. You've got everything. 

Means finding a husband. 

You've ever dreamed of. 

Since your wedding, you've missed six classes. So the faculty turned their heads when married. Students miss a class or two. It's really. Really, when you think about it, a finishing. 

School disguised at the college. I thought that. 

I was headed to a place that would turn. Out tomorrow's leaders? Not. Their wives. The hell with Wellesley. I'm done. 

She was done, Julia Roberts putting in a pretty solid performance and she's a good actor, Julia. 

Roberts, I do like her. She got 25,000,000 for her role in that movie. Wow. 

That's right. That was the highest ever earned by an actress at that time. So she played a teacher. She was a a graduate from UCLA that was hired to teach art history at Wellesley College in the 50s. And she was gonna confront all of these societal values and the institution of marriage in particular. So these girls were, like, studying. And they were really brilliant. Students. But then they go and get married and then they just become housewives. Cause it's the 50s. Ohh geez, I wish we could go back to that time. Quiet you. So, anyway, yeah, it was a pretty feel. Good movie. Smiles turned to frowns. According to the critics. Ohh and basically they were saying it was a paint by numbers. Feminist thing is only 34% critics score, but 60% from the audience. People liked it. 

Yeah. And like you said, some really big names in there. And I think seal actually did a cover of. 

Ohh the the Nat King Cole song. So Mona Lisa smiles. And obviously the painting by da Vinci. 

Yes, yes. 

Etcetera. And then Nat King Cole did the song when it was the smile. So you'll do the cover of it and the rest is history. 

Over in movie news, the 28th of February 2004, we had the Golden Raspberry Awards. The razzies. 

All the razzies. 

Any guesses as to who? 

Cleaned up at the razzles. 

Well, there was 1 stinker of a movie that stood out more than any other stinker of a movie that we've mentioned on a couple of occasions. 

That I've renamed Smith and I feel like it would do better. 

The yeah, maybe the Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck film, Gilly giggly. Jilly, Jilly. Jilly. Jilly. That's right. Yeah. 

Really, really. Like really, really. Yes. 9 nominations for Razzie and it ended up winning worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Actress, Worst Screen Couple worst director. Worst screenplay. That's a bit offensive. Worst screen couple because like they're on IRL. 

Ohh, they got worse for everything. Yeah. Well, they're not saying that they're the worst IRL couple. They're just saying the worst on screen couple. 

And so there is. 

Well, you'd think you'd have a good chemistry on screen if you're, you know, on together of strength. 

Do you reckon it's like? 

They well did. 

Their relationship? Were they in a relationship? When they were filming. 

I thought they were. 

Jilli or? Did they suddenly become in a relationship during filming Shirley? He did jersey girl? I don't know. I'm the Kevin Smith. I'm confused. 

I thought they were already in a relationship. 

At that stage. 

My Ben Affleck timelines not clear. 

Yeah. No. Well, Affleck didn't go to the ceremony to accept him. Crazy. Well, Tom Green did a couple of. 

Ohh, what a surprise. 

Years ago, some. Of them have gone to accept their Razzies. You know, I think Halle Berry has done it as well, but that he didn't go saying that he felt stiffed by the Razzie committee, who didn't send the prize to. 

Him. Well, he should have gone and. 

Then he come get it. If you want it, come get. 

Could have selected. Yes, exactly, it would be. It too to be quite heavy to post, be very expensive postage. 

Well, Affleck was going to appear on Larry King Live a little bit later, so the founder, John Wilson of the Razzies, actually delivered the trophy to Larry King Studios and said can you can you give this to Ben? And Affleck looked at the truck and said, well, it looks a little cheap, so he left it there, didn't take. It with him, it's. 

That's nice. 

Amazing. So then the owner of the Razzies, the founder, sorry of the Razzies, gets the trophy back. John Tom Wilson. 

John, the one who dropped the one, he dropped it. Off to Larry King. 

Gets it back and he auctions it. On eBay, he says, he says that it was handled and rejected by Ben Affleck on live. 

TV. That's what did you think that's worth? That'd be. Worth it? What? 

Well, see one thousand 1700. 

Handled and rejected. 

Dollars is what he got for it, Aviva. 

I would pay that I would pay that if that was on there today, I would pay that. Yeah, I'd pay that. 

Ben Affleck's razzie. No, that's do you think of all the things that we could buy, think of how much contact for school books we need. 

I would. No, that that's worth it. Nut that's completely worth it. The books can go without contact. 

You can't. Do you think it would appreciate in value? 

It it's the it's Ben Affleck's Razzies zeelie he touched it. It's that is amazing. 

I think it's worth more than what they grossed grossed in the box. 

That is so amazing. 

Office anyway, but. Affleck was on Jay Leno, I believe, and he he has a a reasonable sense of humour about it in that he read some of the reviews live. 

On TV, these are actual reviews that I called because I pay attention to these things for the movie. So I'm gonna read these and you let me know if you think it sounds like you want to see. 

I'll show you. 

Such an utter wreck of a movie you expect to see it lying on its side somewhere in rural Pennsylvania with a small gang of engineers circling and a wisp of smoke rising from. The caboose. Let's hold on that that that was a mistake. I I didn't mean to pull that one this speculating that the $3.8 million really earned at the box office came from the purchase of two $1.9 million tickets purchased by Ben and Jen. 

That's right. 

I was bouncing television. I want to give credit where credits due here, a black hole, Geely, a black hole that sucks, reputations, careers and goodwill down its vortex. So, so, so so Geely is so horrible. I had to go clean my palate afterward by watching glitter. So you don't see that every day? It's not finished. A bigger mess than the Exxon Valdez? Well, this is true. I couldn't make this up. Geely will appeal to celebrity gawkers and the certifiably insane. If that's not an endorsement, I mean save $10 in your dignity. Geely is at war with itself, and no one wins. Is the second to last one is applicant Lopez are so taken with each other? They don't need an audience. Good thing because they're not going. To get one, not. With this stinker, my favourite, my favourite view though the best one I have to say that was Peter Travers of Rolling Stone. Very nice Touche. Was the New York Times ran a headline after the box office was. Less than we'd hoped. So the headline was Ben and Jennifer. Finally get some privacy. 

Wow, Jilly Jilly, he said. You heard it from the man himself. Alright, let's go over to some TV news. What? 

Really, really. OK. Really, really, really. Well, no, you you forgot to mention the trophy that he sold on eBay and the $1700 he used that to book the venue for the follow book and pay for the venue for the following years. 

So the razzies? 

Razors for the next year's genius. 

Well, that's that's good. Return on investment, isn't it? OK, let's go over to TV news 29th of February. Sex in the city. Did you watch this? Show no. You must have been one of the only chicks that didn't. 

Yes, probably. 

Yeah, last ever episode on HBO. Ohh no. Only on last episode on HBO did it go to another network. 

Oh, because I can. I I think it was the. No, no, no, it it was the. It came back like a year or two ago, didn't it? Or something? I don't know. I didn't watch it there. I didn't watch it a year or two ago. 

Ohh yeah, I don't know. I can't keep up with these, Steve. I mean I, you know, I I couldn't. 

It was a big deal, though. It was ending. Everybody loved it. It was such an iconic. Show at the time. 

You know who didn't love it? Television without pity is that is there a website? Do they still exist? 

I have to no, I have to jump in the Wayback machine and then I have to look at all the captures over the year and I have to find the capture closest to the date to see if they've done a review and we're in. 

Ohh, that's a shame. 

Luck they did a can. 

We bring back television with our piggies. Alright, here's their review. This stupid, fluffy and sometimes stale. Quote unquote comedy with the shelf life of an open bag of chips on a rainy day made a heroine out of a neurotic, skinny, shrieker monkey who had bad affairs for reasons inexplicable to her three mismatched friends, ******, prissy and bossy long term. What quote unquote questions were resolved neatly in the finale, Charlotte got a baby. Samantha found love, so must have been the last episode. Bigg's name is John, and Miranda's heart grew 3 sizes that day, but no one ever answered the questions of what wardrobe Wrangler Pat Fields was smoking and whether she soaked it in formaldehyde. We didn't like the show, really, but sometimes. We did mostly. We rolled our eyes so much that our drugstore mascara left the marks on our brow bones and thanked the stars. Above that, we never, ever left the House looking like that. 

That's a general synopsis of the show. Do you want to recap of the final episode? 

Ohh yeah, alright alright. 

Carrie leaves Paris for home. Her friends and Big Biggs name is John Charlotte and Harry adopted Mandarin baby. Miranda takes in Steve's Ma, who's developed Alzheimer's. Sam and Smith become even closer, and she tells him he's meant more to her than any man she's ever known. And here's the end scene. Are we ready? 

She's not a look. 

Let us paint. Feature Carrie in a blue coat and white fluffy hat walks toward a bookstore. The hat is poodle. I think maybe Bichon or a remnant of Kangol. Her book is in the window, so of course she goes inside to look at it. The real life version of Googling herself. 

Wow. Is that how it ends? She sees the book that she's read the sex and. The city book. 

Yeah, apparently I don't know. I didn't watch it. Ohh, but yes, thank you. Television. Without pity. That was amazing. Took me there. 

Look after all. Of that sex in the city, I need a cigarette. Hatches, matches, and dispatches. We're going to start with the dispatch and look. Full disclosure here. We've had a couple of attempts at this segment just to make sure we get our pronunciations right and this is the. Last time I'm doing it. 

OK, well since 26th of Feb 2004, Macedonian President Boris. 

Checkoff ski. 

Is killed in a plane crash near Mosta, Bosnia, right? Yeah. 

That's the governor. Same to you, that'll do. 

He is on his way to an international conference in within that area when he's playing a Beechcraft Super King Air 200 dropped off the radar screens and then subsequently crashed into a mountain in bad weather. 

Mostar. Yeah. I mean, this is a big deal like that, that, that area of the world has had its share of ups and downs and mostly downs and now they've got a president down, yeah. 

And this is the. Yes, eight other people were also on board. Nobody survived. The aircraft broke into three pieces and had come down in an area that had been heavily mined during the War of the 90S, which significantly hammered the rescue and recovery efforts. 

Yes, because there's unexploded ordinance there. There's all kinds of obstacles. 

It's hard. 

And it was really bad weather, which was part of the reason why the plane crashed. So it was really difficult. Or rescue crews to get in there. Their investigation. The subsequent investigation revealed that the aircraft encountered fog and heavy rain, which reduced visibility and main navigation. Difficult, but it was also reported that the pilots deviated from the designated flight path, possibly because of the poor weather, but also possibly because of navigational errors. 

Yeah, it was deemed to be the result of a combination of things. Like the weather, like the pilot maybe being a bit confused and discombobulated, and the deviations that they took from the flight path. So he was the 2nd President of Macedonia, serving from 1999 to his death. The 2nd president. Like I said, they've had their ups and downs. They've had lots of downs, and this is a big deal. Although he was largely in a ceremonial role there. He presided over a NATO brokered peace deal in 2001 that prevented armed clashes with ethnic Albanian guerrillas in the mountains border in Kosovo, turning into a full blown civil war. So he kind of kept the peace. I mean, as best you can in that region. He was really well liked. He was respected domestically and internationally. He was known for his efforts to promote peace, stability and inter ethnic reconciliation in Macedonia, which is a really tough job, really tough job. Particularly during that period marked by tension and conflicts that happened in the early 2000s.