Tag Archives: Australia

Aussies stranded overseas by pandemic

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There are still more than 25,000 Australians stranded overseas as of 15 September 2020. For some reason we, a wealthy first-world country, can’t seem to get them home, even if they pay for the trip themselves and pay for quarantine when they arrive. (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/sep/15/why-are-more-than-25000-australians-still-stranded-overseas-six-months-into-the-pandemic) The Philippines has repatriated about 140,000 … Continue reading →

Remember being shocked by Tony Abbott? It seems like a picnic now.

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First Dog on the Moon is the cartoonist for The Guardian, Australian Edition. He is just about my favourite cartoonist. On the 22nd of February 2019, coincidentally my birthday, one of the best of his best appeared. It was published under the heading of “There has never been a more … Continue reading →

The Conversation – a great online news resource

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It’s tough today to get online news for Australians that’s ethical, rigorous and well-written. I’ve always used the ABC, and about a year ago I ditched the Sydney Morning Herald in favour of the Australian edition of The Guardian. When all the bad news starts to get me down I … Continue reading →

Politicians working for the people – Gun Control

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In 2013 the US television news satire, The Daily Show, put to air a three part mini-documentary comparing US action on gun control with Australia’s. Strip away the comedy and you’re left with a story of politicians in Australia who were so incensed by the Port Arthur massacre that they put … Continue reading →

The New Daily

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Australia has a new digital news service provider called The New Daily. It went online this week (today?) and draws its news from a number of sources including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Financial backing is from not-for-profit industry super funds. The New Daily is headed by Former Age and Herald … Continue reading →

Morse code lives on

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Back in the 1830s, Samuel Morse and a couple of his mates were experimenting with sending electrical pulses over wires. To send messages they needed a language, and so was invented what is now called Morse code.  It’s very simple, consisting of only two things: dots and dashes. Each letter … Continue reading →

OECD says Australia is the best, but…

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Yesterday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development launched an updated version of a report called Your Better Life Index. This report compares the performance of 36 countries using criteria such as life satisfaction, safety, health, housing, community and governance. Rather than just accepting the media good-news story that Australia is on … Continue reading →

What global financial crisis?

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I’m finding myself increasingly impressed by the economic and social views of Ross Gittins, the financial columnist for the Herald newspaper in Sydney. His article today was about finding the right balance for the role of the state in our lives. At one extreme is libertarianism and at the other socialism. Ross’s observation … Continue reading →