- @NickHodge I, for one did not say that. Maybe we do just elect a new dictator. I word my questions very, very carefully… 😉 #
- @andrewbarnett Has the Lynx deodorant caused you to fall thru the floor into a room of semi-naked women, as advetised? #
- @Spinopsys I think that’s my point: despotism is about moving the money to the top of the food chain, so businesses are run that way. #
- @duncanriley Well done, sir! A good story and exactly what Crikey loves. And it IS a good story. #
- Oh, I forgot a "Monday plan" tweet earlier. Says it all really. Well, after a ragged 0415 start I reckon my afternoon is reading & tea. #
- Gawd I see the bloody Dalai Lama is in the news AGAIN. He’s like the Bono of Buddhism. [sigh] <– Another friend-winning comment, eh? #
- @rosshill Web start-up cf shuttle mission very bad analogy. Space missions are planned & rehearsed to the last detail. #
- @triviabot You have been very repetitive over the last few days. I want… nay, DEMAND some new trivia. #
- @ApostrophePong & I are off for dinner etc. AFK. #
- WTF are we doing in an Irish pub on St Patrick’s Day? #
Black is the new President
Peter Black wins Headline of the Day Prize today with Black is the new President. Unless, of course, he means himself, in which case that’s just ego gone mad…
Australia 2020 Summit “destined to fail”
Another negative piece about the Australia 2020 Summit, this time from geneticist Michael Lardelli in The 2020 Summit — more hallucination than clear vision. He reckons it’s “destined to fail”.
Let me quote a couple more lines from the [ALP policy] website:
“The Australia 2020 Summit will examine… How we best invest the proceeds of [current] prosperity to lay the foundations for future economic growth.” And “How… we plan future population growth at a national and regional level, given the constraints of water shortages and sustainability?”
The trouble with these statements is that they assume the possibility of future economic growth and the inevitability and even desirability of population growth. But economic growth requires energy. A clear, objective view of the facts shows that by 2020, Australia and the rest of the world will be deep in an energy and food crisis of epic proportions.
Lardelli reckons that not even the Greens can openly suggest that future economic growth is impossible or that population growth is undesirable.
I don’t think we should write off the Summit just yet. These are Australians we’re talking about. If the Steering Committee tries to shut down true ideas-generation, I reckon our “best and brightest” will fight back with vigour.
Relatives by appointment…
I spotted this sign on a gate in Enmore yesterday. I know how they feel. I think I might get myself one of these signs…
Fairfax drops Macquarie Dictionary
I’m not the only one critical of the Macquarie Dictionary, it seems. Big fat media empire Fairfax is switching over to using the Australian Oxford Dictionary. Crikey has the story (behind the paywall for the moment). They quote the Fairfax memo: “Style officers from major papers in the group agree that the Oxford has a stronger sense of style than the Macquarie, offers concise, informative definitions and clearly states its preference for word usage, and therefore is better suited for use in a media organisation.”
David Hicks on Enough Rope?
Word is the first guest for 2008 on Andrew Denton’s Enough Rope will be one David Hicks. Hicks’ media gag order expires 30 March. Enough Rope goes to air 31 March with a “special studio guest”. Hat-tip to Peter Black.