Club Troppo

I told Alexander pictured above (he's the good looking one), that I'd write a post on Troppo when he got his first cricket wicket. Well he got his first cricket wicket, so here is the post! Alexander is besotted with cricket and he's a good bowler. You have been Warned!

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Verily I say unto you, who knows if this will amount to much but it is nevertheless a heavy scene. Via Slashdot . You heard it first on Troppo - well second actually (maybe third). Google's Secret Plans For All That Dark Fiber? Robert X. Cringely details the plan for all the d...

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Most Americans leave high school knowing little about their nation's history . The latest Zorro film isn't going to help. According to Eric Cox in The American Enterprise , the latest Zorro sequel -- The Legend of Zorro attempts "to reconcile Latino identity politics with Amer...

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Taking up the theme of limited government that I dropped in a comment the other day, Gerard Radnitzky wrote a fascinating paper on the "European miracle" of scientific progress, freedom and prosperity that marched together over the last few centuries. The bottom line of this l...

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I've not bumped into John Armstrong before, which presumably says more about me than him. He's been a busy bee in the new burgeoning field of popularising philosophy having published The Secret Power of Beauty (2004) and Conditions of Love (2002) and is about to publish Love,...

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When Coca Cola distributors in Mexico City tried to persuade Raquel Ch¡vez to stop selling a rival brand of cola the shopkeeper complained to Mexico's Federal Competition Commission. The result was $15 million fine for the distributors, a moral victory for Ch¡vez , and an unex...

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Hugh Pavletich e-mailed me this article arguing that " Bicultural Europe is doomed ". Very dramatic. Also I must admit that the hostility in some quarters mainly on the right - to multi-culturalism surprised me when it surfaced and even now surprises me. I'm afraid I'm with P...

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Ross Gittins' column in today's SMH takes up a topic sure to get RWDBs foaming with apoplectic rage: FORGIVE me if I'm not shaking in my shoes over the risk of terrorism on our shores. There is a risk, of course, but it's being greatly exaggerated. My scepticism comes after 30...

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On Late Night Live tonight. Should be fascinating and great fun. Paul K sat at Lang's feet when young drawing the big fella out. I'm not a big fan of Paul Keating as PM. But he was a great Treasurer, and he's great to listen to. He'll discuss Lang with Phillip Adams and histor...

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I had a go at this topic here but wanted to just make the note here that, rather late in the day, going through old Slashdot newsletters, I found this link to the BBC Open Source project. A Good Thing methinks. There should be more of it. I particularly liked this para. For th...

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Here is the 'op ed' of a presentation I made to the National Policy Conference of the Australian Fabians. Naturally the Fabians were extremely keen to have troppodillian representation and so invited me and Tony Harris to give papers. Tony's session - on accountability - was m...

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Readers of this blog will know that I am an admirer of the way in which New Zealand seems to be innovating in economic policy . I've drawn attention to the way in which they've been the first country in the world to build the ideas about 'potent defaults' into savings policy,...

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Courtesy of Slashdot, this report does come from a biased source, but with that warning and the declaration of my own antipathy to the extent to which intellectual property has been extended (though I'll be happy if someone can show me that it is all for the best), this simila...

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Sometime Troppodillian commenter and source of large quantities of high quality analysis, Andrew Leigh has a section on his website called "Frivolous Stuff" . Alas, all it says is "Watch this space....". I thought this was disappointing. But immediately donning my trusty and p...

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A great steer from Matt McIntosh (in a comment) to a long interview with Jeremy Shearmur . He is now living in the vicinity of Canberra. Britain's loss.... This is some stuff about Adam Smith that should appeal to Nicholas Gruen. Interviewer You've spoken about Adam Smith. How...

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Suppose you're at a rollicking pub. An obviously very-drunk man is staggering about, brandishing his car-keys. From what you can understand from his slurred speech, his intention is to shortly drive home. Do you: (a) try to gently talk him out of it? (even at the risk of fruit...

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Former Queensland rugby coach John Connolly comprehensively demonstrated yesterday why it's lucky he was never made Wallabies coach. Connolly reckons the Australian rugby team and/or its coach shouldn't be criticised for the current record run of test losses: But Connolly, now...

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This week's column is about the politics of IR. I think it will be OK for the Government if the economy stays healthy. But if it doesn't I think there'll be hell to pay. Tim Colebatch has published on this issue before and had another go in the paper today . I took the opportu...

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Well Troppodilians, you heard it first - well read it first - on Troppo. A week or so ago having received the link from a friend, Mike Waller, I referred Troppo readers to the story of David Mery , who was held as a terror suspect in Britain under their new laws. It was a fair...

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From the Australian Financial Review, 8th November, 2005 Thank goodness for the counter terrorism guards on Sydney's Harbour Bridge: they can stop pedestrians who use the bicycle path to cross the harbour. However, some people ignore instructions and continue their stroll. If...

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