Or at least I think I am. Someone on the ABC was discussing them, and it sparked my curiosity, but I only caught bits at the end. So I Googled it. After discarding options like ‘the Illuminati on E-Bay’ , ‘Illuminati games’ and go-nowhere chats, I was not much […] Continue Reading…
June 08, 2009 | Ronda Jambe
Everything I need to know I learned at the movies
Truth is, there isn’t that much I really want to know. Not as a proportion of what is out there. My filters cut in last week when a somewhat misleadingly titled lecture provided more details on the aerodynamics of wind generators than I care to consider, so we […] Continue Reading…
June 01, 2009 | Graham
Unemployment looms as major concern
(Cross posted from What the people want)
While a little fewer people are worrying about the economy, many more worry about jobs now than they did 7 months ago, according to our research. In October last year 25.2% worried about the economy, and that has dropped by four percentage points […] Continue Reading…
May 27, 2009 | Ronda Jambe
China and the US – conjoined at the hippocket
Last night George Friedman, founder of the Stratfor forecasting company, spoke at the ANU. He was sceptical about claims of impending doom for the US economy, and not, he made clear, because he loves the culture there. Rather he pointed to vast size of the US megalith, which dwarfs […] Continue Reading…
May 17, 2009 | Ronda Jambe
Sloshing around in the greenhouse
This morning I clumsily misjudged how full my coffee cup was, and some splashed on the startled cat. I thought I could manage it while walking and carrying a newspaper. This trivial blunder reminded me that our tendency to think in straight lines, lines of logic and control, […] Continue Reading…
May 13, 2009 | Graham
Being there budget
Never waste a good crisis is a good maxim. Tough times allow organisations to fundamentally re-engineer what they do. Many of our public and private companies understand that, and we’re seeing restructuring all over the place at the moment.
Paul Keating, probably the best treasurer Australia has ever had, […] Continue Reading…
May 12, 2009 | Graham
Infrastructure the runaway favourite for budget
(Cross-posted from What the people want)
Can Wayne Swan justify a $50B deficit? It’s a meaningless question in isolation. If he spends it on things that the public wants, then it will be justified. According to our polling about the only thing that the treasurer ought to consider spending on […] Continue Reading…
May 11, 2009 | Graham
Coalition improves and Turnbull tanks
(Cross posted from What the people want.)
According to the results of our May Omnibus poll, the Coalition is improving its vote, but its leader is less popular than ever.
On our First Preference Index, which seeks to measure the vote against a base of September 2008, Labor is at 98, […] Continue Reading…
May 03, 2009 | Ronda Jambe
Junkies are the Scum of the Earth (4)
This is the year of letting go. It is hard to think of anything worse than backing away from your children, but it has come to that. For about 14 years I’ve comforted myself with ever decreasing signs of parental pride or satisfaction: no education, interests, job, or prospects. […] Continue Reading…
April 26, 2009 | Graham
The caravan moves on
I’ve been following the St Mary’s saga with detached interest. Having once been to a mass there I found the service powerful, but I’ve been fascinated that Peter Kennedy thought that he could stay there as a Catholic priest at the same time as he defied and criticised the […] Continue Reading…