Words for Web
when words matter most
ACHTUNG
when words matter most
“This is a book about golf and in particular why the game of golf is so special. It is a book about why I love the game and why it has captured my passion and imagination. Golf is unlike most other sporting contests in that you play primarily against the course and to a lesser extent against your playing partners and other competing golfers. The lie of the land challenges you from the opening tee shot until the final putt drops.” Robert Sudha Hamilton.
Book Review
We live in a materialistic age and under the auspices of the capitalist system. Billionaires and oligarchs: Our relationship to them must be examined. Billionaires have been seen as the apotheosis of our economic societies. The general public in western democracies have looked upon these very wealthy people as winners and something to aspire to. In America, individuals like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have been held up as examples of real success. At the same time, America and Australia have become much less equitable nations in terms of the distribution of wealth amongst their populations. There are more billionaires but the percentage of shared wealth has become far more skewed in favour of rich elites.
Fresh
This is the world we now live in, where it is considered to be police policy to taser an old lady with dementia. NSW police so tough they taser 95 year old woman in nursing home. You have to ask yourself if there was, perhaps, another way of disarming an old lady with a steak knife? How about throwing a blanket over her arm and taking the knife off her? How about talking her down without the use of physicality in the first place? Why were the police called at all? Isn’t it the responsibility of staff at the nursing home to manage such incidents?
Fresh
We have had 40 years of people in power telling us that the market will take care of everything. That market forces are the most efficient means of regulating all aspects of our lives. This economic mantra has been repeated by those on both sides of the political divide. Admittedly with more fervour by those on the right with a conservative bent. Well, Australians cannot afford housing, with both renters and first home buyers struggling to put a roof over their heads. The market has not looked after the most basic needs of the many in this regard. Governments have failed Australians and seem powerless and hardly inclined to do anything about this state of affairs. The market has failed renters in Australia and is eating up the livelihoods of a third of Australians.
Big congratulations to the Swans for their victory over the Giants at the SCG. It did not look like happening for much of the afternoon, as GWS were on top for three quarters. The Sydney Swans Qualifying Final win report card must pay the ultimate […]
Fresh Big congratulations to the Swans for their victory over the Giants at the SCG. It did not look like happening for much of the afternoon, as GWS were on top for three quarters. The Sydney Swans Qualifying Final win report card must pay the ultimate […]
Fresh
The culture wars pits extreme reactionary conservatives against progressives. The war on woke is an example of this, where ordinary folk are encouraged to see efforts in favour of redressing the situation, where those among us traditionally excluded from a seat at the big table, as unnecessary. White supremacists are, of course, big fans of this and in some instances driving this ‘anti-woke’ narrative. Diversity inclusiveness is being pilloried as somehow unfair to the dominant white male cohort within our communities – this is ridiculous. The figures do not back this up in any way. The culture wars and demonising woke play to the politics of grievance.
The recent decision by the Queensland state government not to build another sporting stadium for the Olympics is a sign of maturity. Brisbane and Australia are in the midst of an acute housing crisis, with too few houses and apartments available for demand. It would be a gross display of economic irresponsibility to build a massively expensive stadium when there are not enough affordable accommodation options available for the people of Brisbane. The builders and the investment should be engaged and spent on social housing rather than infrastructure for sport. Enough with the elitist sporting indulgence when a city, a state, and a nation is not taking care of its ordinary citizens. Not building another stadium is a win for Queenslanders.
Let me share with you a little about my recent viewing experiences. I decided to trim my expenses in response to the cost of living crisis eating up my modest savings. I axed the streaming services previously subscribed to one by one. Then, after nearly 20 years of pay TV – I gave that the flick also. Suddenly, I was reduced to watching the footy on free to air. Channel 7 trumpets this FREE experience to the viewer but stuffs so many ads into a game my head started spinning. I entered the fake world of commercial free to air TV.
The failure of Donald J Trump to post a bond for the $466 million fraud fine judgement against him has confirmed what many have suspected for some time. Trump is a fake billionaire. He does not have access to this kind of money because his properties are already mortgaged to the hilt. The more concerning matter is the fact that the pretty useless American rules of standing for the highest office in the land have no provision for candidates in massive debt. How stupid is this! Apparently, you can become President of the United States owing huge amounts of money to all and sundry. You can owe hundreds of millions to foreign powers – no problem. The American system is a joke!
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, well, they used to anyway. In this case, Sampson was brought down by the ABC’s Four Corners. The Cranbrook Headmaster was undone by the revelations exposed by the national broadcaster’s flagship current affair program. Protecting paedophiles and a teacher bragging about looking up student’s dresses at a former school were, in the end, too much for the board of trustees. They had toughed out the many complaints by female teachers about their treatment by male staff and students at the exclusive private boy’s school in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Principal of privileged private school falls on sword in resignation at bad form exposed over decades.
It is hard not to reduce the salient difference between those on the Right to those on the Left, as an overt concern with selfishness vs inclusiveness. Republicans in America always back tax cuts for the rich and big business. The LNP Coalition in Australia follow a similar predilection, when it comes to things, as exemplified by the Stage 3 tax cuts. Those on the Right are fed a diet of the individual’s right to private wealth over most other considerations. They see that capitalism is about such things, and are highly suspicious of the welfare state. Their ideological stance is that everyone must make their own way in life with no handouts. However, they have no problem with receiving a leg up from their family if they come from a wealthy background. A level playing field is not high on their list of priorities.
Over 40, 000 AFL fans packed the SCG for the Sydney Swans vs Melbourne Demons opening round of the 2024 season. What were the main takeaways from this novel opening match. AFL ruckman Brodie Grundy was made for the Bloods and played with real heart and soul to get them over the line. He nullified Max Gawn as the game went on and put in a massive last quarter to turn the tide the Swans way. Grundy had 22 disposals, 15 contested, 9 clearances, 6 tackles, 4 marks and 31 hit outs. Sydney defeated Melbourne 12.14 to 9.10. The Demons had outscored the Swans in the third term to threaten their chances of victory.
Most people refrain from delving too deeply into history. Some, especially the young, are too busy making their own history or trying to anyway. However, our lives are built on assumptions and often these are the assumptions of others who have gone before us. Yuval Harari calls them myths, the myths that we live by. There are myths which give our lives meaning – the myths of money and of God. Many of us work the live long day in the pursuit of money. Some of us believe in a supernatural, invisible entity that lies at the centre of our universe. What if both of these things have no real tangible substance and are, rather, myths that we live by?
There have been a number of disturbing incidents recently, which highlight the demise of our national broadcaster’s once fearless presence. The ABC has lost its independent voice. These include ABC presenters parroting editorial positions from the Murdoch press. In several of these cases the facts at the heart of the matter were not only borrowed but wrong. In what universe do we want the ABC quoting the editorial right wing bias of The Australian when questioning interviewees. Michael Rowland was guilty of this when putting questions to the PM Anthony Albanese about health funds.
Peter Dutton and the Coalition have been whipping up fear among Australians. Racist Coalition weaponizing immigration by accusing the government of releasing dangerous detainees into the community. It was in actual fact the High Court of Australia that ordered these men who had served their sentences must be released. The frenzy over their release into the community has culminated with Victoria Police wrongly arresting one of the released detainees for sex crimes. Mistaken identity or just white folk paranoia pointing the finger at any Arab looking character? Dog whistling Dutton does not care what damage he causes to people’s lives. Politics is everything to the very rich landlord Dutton and his party of shrill acolytes.
