Monthly Archives: August 2011

Coffee Pot on-line

Permit me to indulge a little more in my railway alternate universe where I live out my childhood daydreams. I see myself at the throttle of the Coffee Pot chugging through Pichi Richi Pass in South Australia’s lower Flinders Ranges. Quirky, eh wot? Why waste a daydream on something so wheezy and small in theContinue reading “Coffee Pot on-line”

Red Dog – Movie Review

Here’s an Oz flick that literally champions the underdog! Red Dog is the monicker given to the red kelpie that mysteriously appears and adopts the good burghers of Dampier, a mining port  in WA’s hot Pilbara region. It is based on a true story of the 70s, and the era is faithfully depicted. A commemorativeContinue reading “Red Dog – Movie Review”

Same sex marriage – a mugwump’s perspective

This one is hotting up for parliamentary attention next week, with both the Australian Christian Lobby and Getup! campaigning from opposite sides. It looks like it’s going to be high noon at the OK Corral as these two shape up to each other in their lobbying for support. Funny thing is that, in the past,Continue reading “Same sex marriage – a mugwump’s perspective”

At last – a candle lit in the darkness!

A top immigration official recommends more community based schemes for processing asylum claims and raises questions about the effectiveness of unnecessary detention. Will our politicians listen? Doesn’t take much to blow out a candle. I’m indebted to Jack Smit of SafeCom for posting the following transcript. Check out SafeCom, by the way – it’s oneContinue reading “At last – a candle lit in the darkness!”

Nothing personal!

      The High Court of Australia has several interesting cases before it right now. I’ve already pinpointed the challenge to the federally funded School Chaplaincy Program. Rocking the boat is a very succinct article on the current injunction to halt the Malaysia refugee swap scheme on the basis that the Australian government does notContinue reading “Nothing personal!”

A weak question…

It is occasionally suggested for interviews…”What is your greatest weakness?” I occasionally sit in on job interview or performance review panels as well as having been subject to my own annual performance reviews. I am glad, for the right reasons, that this question never arises. It seems to appear frequently in interview guides, however. MyContinue reading “A weak question…”

Correcting the Teacher

We’ve all done it in our student days – or held our breath as others have been foolhardy enough to attempt it – correcting the teacher. We learned a lot from how the teacher responded, particularly when the student was actually right. Adolescent joy abounded if the teacher blustered and blundered and obfuscated around hisContinue reading “Correcting the Teacher”

Monkeying Around with Genetics

Another cinematic prequel has arisen. Many may remember the fascination we had with the late 60s TV series and eventual movie Planet of the Apes.  The plot explored what it might be like to consider a kind of reversed evolution process, where humans were a subspecies to the intelligently superior ape. Rise of the Planet ofContinue reading “Monkeying Around with Genetics”