- Wait for it people (31 Aug 10)
There was huffing and puffing about partial figures published by the Australian Electorial Commission this morning that with 85.4% of the votes counted in two-party preferred terms the ALP had ...
- Debate on the economy means debate on economics (16 Aug 10)
Australia's completing Liberal and Labor parties differ on economic policy more strongly that one might think. A decent discussion of these firrences would have made the present election debate less ...
- Universes inside universes (16 Aug 10)
We've heard the idea that our entire universe might just be an atom in some gigantic table leg or a spot on some celestial wall paper. Apparently according to recent ...
- Echinacea and oranges (16 Aug 10)
I was surprised when my GP recommended dosing myself on echinacea in combination with vitamin C to try to shake off winter coughs and colds. It seems there is good ...
- Exercise good news (13 Aug 10)
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Cambridge University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have announced findings that even light or moderate intensity physical activity such ...
- Tony's grown up but his policies haven't (08 Aug 10)
Unscientific it may be but The Age's poll is intriguingly close. It would seem that Mr Abbott has done what he says government should do — grown up. Agree with ...
- Government funds saintly superstition (06 Aug 10)
Mary MacKillop will be canonised on October 17 2010 in Rome. Prime Minister Gillard attended a Mary MacKillop fund-raising dinner on 5 August and pledged $1.5 million toward the celebrations ...
- Lutetia and McHoo (26 Jul 10)
On 10 July the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft flew by much-cratered asteroid 21 Lutetia at a closest distance of 3 162 km returning superb pictures. Luteria is quite large ...
- Comedian Heggie wins by being funny (25 Jul 10)
Last night was the television broadcast of the final of the 2010 RAW Comedy Grand Final held in Melbourne in April. The first of the 13 contestants was Luke Heggie. ...
- Promising less than less (18 Jul 10)
Peter Hartcher of the SMHhas it right in his comments this morning (19 Jul 10) about Labor and Liberal election offerings. This election campaign is going to be dull dull ...
- No squirrels this time? (16 Jul 10)
Following a visit from Prime Minister Gillard (The words 'trip to Yarralumla' are symbolic in Australian politics!) the Governor-General has agreed to dissolve the House of Representatives. It is quite ...
- Assess Labor, not Gillard (13 Jul 10)
Ross Gittins is not my favourite commentator but he makes a good point this morning (SMH 14 Jul 10).Excuse me but what's the tearing hurry? We've had a new Prime ...
- He achieved much and failed much (23 Jun 10)
Under Kevin Rudd the Labor government achieved a great deal and also made some large failures. In the process a previously hugely popular prime minister became widely unpopular. He was ...
- Football in B flat and 127 decibels (14 Jun 10)
The most likely candidate to ruin the World Cup experience for the entire planet is this the vuvuzela a plastic version of an allegedly traditional instrument with according to ...
- Will 2010 be a diving contest? (12 Jun 10)
The spectacle and skill of world-class football is undeniable and exciting. But I find it a frustrating game to watch. The outcome often seems arbitrary to me. A single lucky ...
- A very good newspaper (10 Jun 10)
For me one the small pleasures of holidaying in SE Asia is to read the International Herald Tribune daily. It's not widely available in Australia although of course there's a ...
- Balls in two dimensions (06 Apr 10)
Verlyn Klinkenborg writes in the NYT's Editorial Notebook (5 Apr 10) about the alleged enchantment of The Ball in Flight.[B]ecause it's a warm Sunday afternoon the ball is in play ...
- Ruddy rude (12 Mar 10)
Simon Benson in The Daily Telegraph (12 Mar 10):Prime Minister Kevin Rudd took his health war against NSW a step too far yesterday in what appeared to be a deliberate ...
- By guess or by . . .? (11 Mar 10)
In case you are wondering what all those public servants are working on as they burn Mr Rudd's midnight oil. Source: Dilbert.com ...
- The changing of microseconds (02 Mar 10)
I don't mean in the least to diminish the terror and severity of the Chilean earthquake but I have long enjoyed horological and geophysical trivia. Richard Gross a geophysicist at ...
- Something has to give, Mr Rudd (22 Feb 10)
Mr Garrett can hardly be blamed for installers who fail to provide reasonable service and householders who allow payment for poor work. "It seems suppliers were more avaricious or householders ...
- A serious potential for mistakes (22 Feb 10)
A Government Minister has acknowledged that it has put excessive strain on federal officials with a consequent risk of administrative failings such as those that have bedeviled the now-axed home ...
- Warp speed policy (16 Feb 10)
Dennis Atkins says in the Courier Mail (7 Feb 10) that:Kevin Rudd and his team are diving into the policy bottom drawers — and some top drawers — to find ...
- Naked rambling (08 Feb 10)
A British man Stephen Gough 50 known to the press as the 'naked rambler' has been gaoled more than once for refusing to wear clothes. The campaign of the ''Naked ...
- Glorious insult (03 Feb 10)
A colleague sent me these. Some are well known. These glorious insults are from an era before the English speech was dumbed down to clichés. Now we need some equally ...
- Thanks Mr Obama, but a 'phone call will do (03 Feb 10)
It's confirmed that Mr Barack Obama will visit Australia during March and address a joint sitting of Parliament probably on 18 March which would require a special recall of MPs ...
- Heat without fire (13 Jan 10)
Yesterday (Wednesday) morning I said to my work mates that one of two things would happen that day; either the temperature would drop or I would drop. Tuesday night was ...
- A smoke free workforce (12 Jan 10)
I quote the Canberra Times (13 Jan 10).Health boss calls for end to smokos A senior public servant has urged the federal bureaucracy to crack down on smokos after her ...
- What's no. 1 today? (06 Jan 10)
Right-wing climate-change sceptic Senator Nick Minchin is not usually someone I would quote; but by asking 'How many "number one priorities" does one PM need?' in this from The Punch ...
- From facts to wisdom (22 Dec 09)
I sketched this while working on something at the office today. It's not quite right but interesting to think about. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with ...
- Curioser and curioser. (14 Dec 09)
It's reported today that the entire six-member board of Anglicare Canberra and Goulburn—an excellent organisation—has resigned for undisclosed reasons. The resignations are not related to the recent appointment of Peter ...
- Kevin Rudd : politics or policy? (13 Dec 09)
I prefer the Greens and I am a very long way from voting for Mr Abbott's rabble. But I am increasingly unseasy about Mr Rudd and his government. Part of ...
- Abbott exposed (09 Dec 09)
On 7 December Opposition Leader Tony Abbott disparaged the Copenhagen climate conference telling Macquarie Radio that "Notwithstanding the dramatic increases in man-made CO2 emissions over the last decade the world's ...
- GRB 090423 and the next 13 billion years (30 Oct 09)
In April NASA's orbiting Swift observatory reported a distant gamma-ray burst from a massive explosion ending the life of a star. Ground-based measurements now find GRB 090423 to be ...
- Organically standard (09 Oct 09)
I'm never quite sure whether 'organic' products are better than 'non-organic'. Because of the growing use of dodgy claims on product labels Australia has long needed assurance that foods and ...
- Witness to the wobbling of the world (03 Oct 09)
A great satisfaction in growing old—one of many—is assuming the role of a witness to the wobbling of the world and seeing irreversible changes. The downside besides the tedium of ...
- Birds, bees and political ruin (01 Sep 09)
The Hon. John Della Bosca MLC has resigned as NSW Health Minister and leader of the NSW Legislative Council after it was made public that he has had an affair ...
- Apostrophe agony (30 Aug 09)
In my employer's shiny nearly-new building the facilities on each of the sixteen floors are boldy marked MENS and WOMENS. I wince every time I walk by. So would Lynn ...
- To Twitter or not to Twitter? (24 Aug 09)
To Twitter or not to Twitter? A report from media consultants Pearl Analytics has categorised a sample of 2 000 Tweets into six buckets (news spam self-promotion pointless babble conversational ...
- Why Malcolm Turnbull's job is under threat (06 Aug 09)
If anyone wonders why Malcolm Turnbull's job is under threat look no further. Based on the 2007 election results adjusted for the subsequent redistribution in WA eleven seats are vulnerable ...
- The feds restrain Canberra's progress (03 Aug 09)
The ACT's Chief Minister is annoyed that the federal government appears unwilling to review its powers to veto the territory's laws. "They are issues of continuing frustration for us because ...
- Snakes on the catwalk (31 Jul 09)
I will definitely not be wearing this next Spring. Whatever was designer Raf Simons thinking of? I don't like snakes at all. ...
- Bottled therapy (31 Jul 09)
Scientists from Scotland and Singapore have unraveled a mystery that has perplexed scientists since red wine was first discovered to have health benefits: how does resveratrol control inflammation? Research published ...
- Eucharistically economical (28 Jul 09)
I'm desperately hoping this is just an elaborate joke but I fear that it isn't.Use the the Purity Communion Host Dispensers during the cold and flu season to prevent the ...
- Watching Miss T's waistline (22 Jul 09)
I'm struggling with my weight; it seems to me that this famous verse could well have been written for dieters.Miss T It's a very odd thing — As odd as ...
- Christopher Robin's take on H1N1 (22 Jul 09)
Sneezles Christopher Robin Had wheezles And sneezles They bundled him Into His bed. They gave him what goes With a cold in the nose And some more for a cold ...
- What is 'OJ' thinking? (10 Jul 09)
After reading this and this review I don't plan to see Brüno. But this pic of a little boy ('OJ' is played by Chibundu Orukwowu and Chigozie Orukwowu) with Sacha ...
- Obama's crackers (11 May 09)
Here's at least one of the reasons why President Obama look so trim. He watches his diet. He could have anything he wants but chooses just cheese carrot fruit ...
- How to save $100bn and be happier (08 May 09)
The Economist (7 May 09) considers why despite the slump Australia's government wants to "lavish money on its armed forces" in "a military build-up over the next 20 years as ...
- Labor's budget is anti-intellectual (06 May 09)
I would not have thought the Rudd government to be anti-intellectual but that is certainly the trend of its budgetary policies. It has spent like a drunken sailor pouring out ...
- A distance beyond imagining. (28 Apr 09)
How many know that this is the International Year of Astronomy? To me it's among the most fascinating of the sciences. NASA reports that on 23 April 09 NASA's Swift ...
- Thinking, thinking ... (24 Apr 09)
INTJ - The "Strategist" INTJs are introspective analytical determined persons with natural leadership ability. Being reserved they prefer to stay in the background while leading. Strategic knowledgable and adaptable ...
- Who's not racist? (23 Apr 09)
I agree with Seumas Milne who writes that the Iranian president Ahmadinejad's repugnant rhetoric at the Durban Review Conference doesn't give Israel's sponsors the right to cry foul when it's ...
- I'm one in 10.4 million (18 Feb 09)
Leon Gettler writes for the SMH reports "Stats show old farts are taking over Facebook." I which case I must plead guilty I suppose.According to the latest market research reported ...
- Obama protects torturers? Surely not. (14 Feb 09)
President Obama has been refreshingly willing to acknowledge mistakes. Hopefully it was a mistake when on Monday when—in a case before US Court of Appeals in San Francisco about serious ...
- Endurance tennis (02 Feb 09)
I watched part of the match as no. 1 tennis player Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2 to become Australian open singles champion in a contest ...
- Maybe I'll be a father after all (22 Jan 09)
With a hat tip to Christopher: You're St. Justin Martyr! You have a positive and hopeful attitude toward the world. You think that nature history and even the pagan philosophers ...
- Bush embarasses Australia (again) (06 Jan 09)
John Howard is to be the first Australian political leader to be honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom the United States' highest civilian honour. The medal is awarded ...
- Aged by an extra second (01 Jan 09)
I discover that overnight on 31 December 2008 I aged by more than expected. The time it takes the Earth to rotate (a day) is getting longer by about 0.002 ...
- George unlamented (30 Dec 08)
After the death of King George IV on 26 June 1830 The Times famously commented on 15 July 1830:There never was an individual less regretted by his fellow-creatures than this ...
- Prosecuting the torturers (18 Dec 08)
In a lengthy editorial (17 Dec 08) NYT notes that a bipartisan report by the US Senate Armed Services Committee has made a strong case for bringing criminal charges against ...
- Kevin 24x7 . . . x52 (28 Nov 08)
It's reported that although Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's workaholic habits may be forcing some public servants to keep longer hours in the office they seem less stressed than when John ...
- The James Bond collect (22 Nov 08)
Tomorrow the Sunday next before Advent and the feast of Christ the King has long been known in the Anglican Church as 'Stir-up Sunday'. This comes from the opening words ...
- An answer fit for a Queen? (18 Nov 08)
Plainly not amused Her Majesty the Queen of Australia came up with a salient question during a briefing by academics at the LSE on the turmoil on the international markets. ...
- Awarding Matthew (18 Nov 08)
Is Matthew Mitcham begining to fill Ian Thorpe's size 17 shoes in the way he has caught the imagination of sporting journalists and award-givers? He has won or is in ...
- Voting for life (09 Nov 08)
In the run-up to the US elections I wrote that although I loathe abortion the single-issue politics surrounding it troubled me. It has been a worry that the choice of ...
- For this I am grateful (04 Nov 08)
By Garrison Keillor:Bravo Barack Mr. Steady who cheerfully did the rope lines made the phone calls answered the same questions fifteen thousand times bounded up the stairs delivered his lines ...
- Subjunctive hopes for Obama (03 Nov 08)
I have the same feeling as Martin Kettle describes about the American election (Guardian 3 Nov 08)I spent last week as part of a panel discussing the US election in ...
- Jessica Halloran's good work (27 Oct 08)
Jessica Halloran is one of two nominees in the sport news reporting category of the 2008 Walkely awards for Australian journalism. (Winners will be announced on 27 November.) She has ...
- The Bradley Effect (27 Oct 08)
Noting that Barack Obama has a large lead in the polls Jim McDermott SJ asks in Eureka Street (27 Oct 08) whether latent racism will affect the actual vote. In ...
- ACT : Red/Green fairer than Blue/Green (18 Oct 08)
After yesterday's vote. a Green-Labor ('Red/Green') coalition would better represent the will of the ACT's people than a Green/Liberal ('Green-Blue') coalition. Labor and the Greens together have over half the ...
- Immutable laws (12 Oct 08)
We've all heard of Murphy's law the Peter Principle Parkinson's law etc. There's a long list here. My contributions:McKinlay's law of leave: The amount of work still to be done ...
- Hairitage (12 Oct 08)
This is Charley Boorman motorbiker and adventure film maker photographed superbly by Adam Knott. I have had boring hair almost all my life but I do like Mr Boorman's. Maybe ...
- Keynes redux (09 Oct 08)
The Guardian (Editorial 9 Oct 08) is just one of many commentators to remind us that in the present financial mess we should be giving serious though once more to ...
- Sarah P. in 31 secs (09 Oct 08)
Save time! Here's all you need to know about Sarah Palin's policies in 31 seconds (h/t Scott Gunn). ...
- The race for power corrupts (08 Oct 08)
If power corrupts the race for power has corrupted John McCain. Despite the apparent civility of the Presidential debate yesterday Senator McCain's campaign is showing just how dangerous he would ...
- Her disdain for contemplative leadership (04 Oct 08)
The International Herald Tribune -- which I find to be excellent -- is of course the international edition of the New York Times. Both are highly critical of John McCain's ...
- What not to swim in (03 Oct 08)
If the recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week show in Miami is anything to go by the fashion industry have little idea of what the average bloke would want to wear at ...
- We cannot afford another Bush (01 Oct 08)
It is difficult for the lay person to understand what the problem with the financial markets now is but as The Economist explains with its usual clarity that credit markets ...
- Stormy weather (01 Oct 08)
I am not a great footy supporter as I have said and rugby league is not really 'football' (This and this are football.) but emboldened by the Hawk's victory last ...
- World Youth Day and the 'flu (01 Oct 08)
The press say that businesses are calling this year's flu season one of the worst with up to 25% of staff on sick leave. All of my team have been ...
- 43 teams, 4.5 places (13 Sep 08)
The road to the World Cup is a long road. After three preliminary rounds ten Asian teams are in the fourth round in two groups of five. The two stage ...
- A dangerous candidate (13 Sep 08)
The more I read about John McCain the more I am persuaded how dangerous he would be as US president. This from Joe Klien in Time (15 Sep 08)The Palin ...
- Episcopal candidates: is Mr Downie guessing? (08 Sep 08)
The Canberra Times has published a piece by its religion reporter Graham Downie purporting to give the names of the candidates for the upcoming election of the 10th Bishop of ...
- Taxpayers contribute $553 per pilgrim (21 Aug 08)
The courts have dismissed legal protests but it remains the case that the World Youth Day was very expensive for the taxpayers of New South Wales. Reported spending by the ...
- Is winning boring? (10 Aug 08)
"Go on admit it. Beijing is boring. Call off 2012" is the headline of a commentary by Barbara Ellen in The Observer (1 Aug 08). While "the occasional Olympic event ...
- The bishops behaved as such (03 Aug 08)
Bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire writes on leaving the Lambeth Conference for a preaching engagement in Scotland that:Lots of people including journalists were asking what I thought the Lambeth ...
- Great Firewall (02 Aug 08)
I have resolved to say as little about the Olympics as possible though I will be happy if a certain diver is successful. That said I am definitely grumpy about ...
- Enneagramed (30 Jul 08)
A friend said I might find the Enneagram interesting? Main TypeOverall Self Type 1Perfectionism||||||||||||||||||78%Type 2Helpfulness||||||||||||46%Type 3Image Focus||||||||||||||54%Type 4Hypersensitivity||10%Type 5Detachment||||||||||||||||||78%Type 6Anxiety||||||||||||||58%Type 7Adventurousness||||||||||||42%Type 8Aggressiveness||||||||||||46%Type 9Calmness||||18% ...
- On not following Lambeth and other games (25 Jul 08)
Anglicans Online offers wise advice which I intend to follow.The 2008 Lambeth Conference has begun. We do not recommend trying to follow it hour-by-hour but if you must let us ...
- Doing the Lambeth talk (12 Jul 08)
"At the Lambeth conference which meets once a decade bishops from the 38 provinces of the worldwide Anglican communion gather to think pray and talk about sex." -- Christopher Caldwell. ...
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