A drink in Brisbane anyone?

I'll be in Brisbane next Wednesday night - so it would be nice to see anyone who wants to come along. Mark B has posted some suggestions on LP . I can make it from around 8 pm.

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Posted in Uncategorised

Sentence watch - another installment

I sometimes get into trouble for drawing sentences to the attention of Troppodillians that look too light to me. Well maybe someone can set me straight. I've not checked out the cases, but they look wrong to me. Case 1. An 11-year-old Canberra boy who sexually assaulted a 12-y...

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Posted in Philosophy

Telstra - making life easy

Below the fold is an example of Telstra making life easy. I don't know if you've ever heard Mike Nichols and Elaine May's great sketch from 1960 but that's what it's been like. I may keep you posted if there is further cause. The initial email was in response to being told tha...

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Posted in Life, IT and Internet

Missing Link - Dr Haneef Edition

Well, Mohammed Haneef and the Bail Dance... or not, as the case may be. It certainly got Ozblogistan going in a big way, with lots of lively commentary and legal input. For my money, bloggers really showed where they can do a much better job than the MSM, simply by being able...

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Posted in Missing Link

Fax fax fax machines - out they go!

I have just disonnected a phone/fax machine which I've used as the main phone on my desk for years. It's of no further (foreseeable) use for me. So if you want it - the first person to arrange to get round here (to Port Melbourne) to pick it up can have it. Price: $0 The catch...

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Posted in Uncategorised

Missing Link update

My apologies to all and sundry; the reason Missing Link is late is because yours truly got overconfident about getting over the dreaded lurgi, which I'm now paying for in spades. Missing Link will be up this afternoon, after I've been to the doctor (yes, me going to a doctor;...

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Posted in Missing Link

Knocked up - see it if you want some really good light entertainment

Killing a night in Sydney I went to see Knocked Up which I'd heard good things about. Thoroughly accurate things. It's terrific. I'm afraid I couldn't take my eyes of Katherine Heigl. These are the unfair things that Hollywood does to us little people out here. Anyway, go and...

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Posted in Films and TV

Is there a precedent?

KERRY O'BRIEN : Okay. The Federal Police were also given every opportunity to convince the magistrate hearing the case against Dr Haneef that he should be held in custody, and the magistrate rejected their arguments. Have federal police given you information that they haven't...

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Posted in Politics - national

If States Were Nations

California contributes approximately 14% of of the US GDP. If it were a nation its economy would rank just behind China's and Italy's for size. New South Wales contributes 33.1% of Australian GDP. Victoria is next with 24.2%, Queensland with 18.9% and Western Australia with 12...

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Posted in Politics - national, Interesting Graphs

Romulus my arse

I've just been to see Romulus my father. To the left is a picture of the actual Romulus. The filmic version is another story. I enjoyed the book a lot when it came out. Recently I heard Raimond Gaita reading some sections of the book on 'first person' on the great Radio Nation...

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Posted in Films and TV

Gripping radio

A couple of highlights from Radio National from Troppo's resident insomniac. This ship and its sister ships were built in the first decade or two of the twentieth century in a last ditch attempt to match steam power. They eked out an existence until 1949 running grain between...

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Posted in History

Guest Post: Stephen Rimmer proposes an Aboriginal Rights and Responsibilities Commission

A friend of mine - Stephen Rimmer has proposed an Aboriginal Rights and Responsibilities Commission. If you're wondering what that might be, you get a clue from the fact that Stephen is an old hand at the Productivity Commission (having spent a great deal of his time in regula...

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Posted in Politics - national, Politics - Northern Territory

Missing Link, (Black) Friday 13 July

Housing and blogging, blogging and housing. Since we did some navel gazing in the last issue, I thought we'd better leave the blog v MSM stoush to the news and politics section, and bring housing affordability up to the top of this issue of Missing Link. This is such a juicy t...

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Posted in Missing Link

The Ruddernaught Rumbles On

News today that Prime Minister John Howard is on the nose in New South Wales must surely be a big blow to the morale of the Committee to re-elect the PM , that has been trying desperately to claw its way back into the game at this point of the election cycle. Machine Rudds ste...

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Posted in Politics - national

"Why, Reverend, come right on the show!"

As Christopher Hitchens puts it: Try this: Call a TV station and tell them that you know the Antichrist is already on earth and is an adult Jewish male. See how far you get. Then try the same thing and add that you are the Rev. Jim-Bob Vermin. "Why, Reverend, come right on the...

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Posted in Journalism

What's driving house prices?

A couple of months ago I wrote a newsletter for Peach Home Loans clients on the price of housing. Ever since being put on the 'drip' of Hugh Paveletich's daily broadcast emails I've been intrigued by the argument that the massive rise in housing prices has been driven by gover...

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Posted in Economics and public policy

Panel discussions, festivals of ideas and organising a ball

A whip around a couple of sites commenting on the Adelaide Festival of Ideas and the issue of 'MSM v blogging' leads me to post this observation. I think Radio National is a fine thing, but I much prefer it when a program finds someone who's written something interesting, the...

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Posted in Media

Missing Link, Tuesday 10 July

A bit of navel gazing never hurt anyone, and in this issue, various bloggers engage our (oftimes troubled) relationship with the MSM, along with the role of new communications tools. Particularly worthwhile in this context is Peter Black's ongoing examination of Facebook v oth...

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Posted in Missing Link

Banging on with The Organ

Today, in essential reading for all patriots, Ruperts Organ of Freedom throbs big time with big ideas and larger than life loftiness. Beginning at Planet Janet we find ourselves once again saving Western Civilisation as she goes suborbital around Muslim Terror. Its Good v Evil...

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Posted in Journalism

Foreign Policy Doctrine and the Oil 'Gotcha' Moment

There has been a media and blogger gotcha moment when Nelson mentioned that armed intervention in Iraq was related to securing energy supplies. We know that the Carter Doctrine from 1980 stated clearly that the US would use military might in the Gulf region if American nationa...

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Posted in Uncategorised, Politics - national