We’ve probably all had that uncanny experience, while roaming and pillaging through this over-stuffed media landscape, of reading an article, essay, opinion piece which expresses almost exactly what we have to say on that subject. A satisfying frisson of solidarity sparks those lonely synpases. Such a moment happened to me recently with a column by Jessica Irvine (in SMH), which described simply and clearly how the [...]
Archive for September, 2011
Parsing Pollution
Posted in Economy, Editorial, Environment, tagged carbon tax, Jessica Irvine, pollution abatement, pollution permits, SMH on September 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Italian Ignominy: Berlusconi Braggadocio
Posted in World, tagged Italian debt, Jacques Chirac, Silvio Berlusconi scandal on September 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Italian men may have invented the fashion of wearing coats on their shoulders without putting their arms in the sleeves, but Silvio has taken bravura into new dimensions. Embattled French ex-President Jacques Chirac must be green with envy as he tries to avoid court over corruption charges, while Il Cavailere sails on through multiple court defences over the [...]
Banana Bending
Posted in Economy, tagged Banana Index, Banana prices on September 23, 2011 | 3 Comments »
As elsewhere Down Under, denizens of Kookynie are inveterate banana munchers, or were, until Cyclone Yasi wiped out crops and sent prices stratospheric at $15+ per kg - making fresh meat cheaper. Our national favourite snack became an unaffordable habit. However hardcore banana-addicts have resorted to high-strength substitutes for their fix: packaged banana chips. But they are a mixed blessing, like methadone for heroin users. At $3.68 for 400g [...]
Governor Glenn Gorges
Posted in Economy, Editorial, Society, tagged executive salary excess, Governor Glenn Stephens, J Ralston Saul 'Voltaire's Bastards', Reserve Bank of Australia on September 20, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Not gorgeous! Reporting of our erstwhile Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stephens is often deferential, maybe because he pulls the big lever on interest rates. Executive salary feeding troughs are smaller for public servants, but there’s still plenty of room for serious porkish behaviour. Actually ‘gouges’ could also describe the Guv’s new improved salary - paid out of the public [...]
‘God of Speed’
Posted in Culture, tagged God of Speed, Howard Hughes, Luke Davies on September 17, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Luke Davies’ book was published in 2008, but often the slow mail to Kookynie means that KC’s book reviewer has to make up for lost time. The ‘God of Speed’ is a debauched take on the life of Howard Hughes. It’s a wild ride, as we share the old man’s delirious (‘stream-of-consciousness’ is an understatement) telling [...]
Cambodian Survivor Passes
Posted in World, tagged Cambodian genocide, Duch, Phnom Penh, Pol Pot, Tuol Sleng, Vann Nath on September 14, 2011 | 1 Comment »
The story of Cambodia’s genocidal Khmer Rouge regime is conceivably the most shocking of the post-WWII era, given the scale of organised horror. Cruel zealots lead by Pol Pot attempted to re-model society. Phnom Penh residents were forced into the countryside to become labourers in a new communistic, agrarian revolution; educated and professional people were [...]
Shonky Chirac
Posted in Politics, Society, World, tagged anosognosia, Jacques Chirac trial, les guignols de l'info on September 12, 2011 | 1 Comment »
It seems that Jacques Chirac, ex-President of France, has been inspired by ‘WA entrepreneur’ Alan Bond’s memory loss (see KC’s 2009 report on other Aussie executive memory lapses) during his court hearings. Big Jacques has taken it a step further, with a preemptive strike before his long-awaited trial on multiple corruption charges, by having his lawyer submit a [...]
‘New Spirit of Reward’ at QF
Posted in Economy, Editorial, tagged Alan Joyce, executive remuneration, Geoff Dickson, New Spirit of Reward, Qantas on September 9, 2011 | 2 Comments »
The company annual report season always seems to reveal porkish behaviour around the executive feeding trough, which was last reported by KC in 2009. Star porkers back then included outgoing Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon, but his replacement Alan Joyce had to get by then on a measly $3.7m. After a lean year in 2010 with [...]
Seeking Asylum Seekers
Posted in Editorial, Politics, Society, tagged afghan refugees, asylum seekers, Leonora detention centre on September 5, 2011 | 4 Comments »
Again Outback WA is being called on to keep the nation afloat, by doing its patriotic duty. It’s not enough to supply most of the mining goodies, but we are also solving the imbroglio over asylum seekers (aka boat people, unwanted aliens, Islamic terrorists, queue jumpers, etc.). Following the successful establishment in Leonora (just up [...]
Angst & Apathy over Afghan War
Posted in Editorial, Politics, World, tagged Afghanistan war, Australian war casualties, Malalai Joya, Sunday Night Channel 7 on September 1, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Our involvement in this endless conflict has now cost the lives of 29 Australian soldiers and more than 200 wounded, over its ten years. In 2009 we discussed Australia’s strategy dilemmas, expert opinions, troop surges, and the corrupt Afghan government and shocking reality there, explained by Malalai Joya (currently in Australia again, as guest of the Melbourne Writers Festival). The same arguments still hold, but [...]
