September 16, 1956: Channel Nine begins transmission with station manager Bruce Gyngell (long before his pretty in pink days) uttering that profound line:

Hello, and welcome to television.

Two years ago, I opened my personal recollection of the events in the US on September 11, 2001 with a quote from New York Times columnist Nicholas D.Kristof. Let me repeat it, for it still rings true:

But as we commemorate the anniversary of 9/11, let’s remember that almost as many people are still dying in Darfur every week as died in the World Trade Center attack.
- Nicholas D.Kristof, New York Times, 11 September 2004

King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV 1918-2006

One of 29 remaining monarchs in the world today, the King of Tonga died yesterday. An old Newingtonian and a Sydney Uni law graduate, Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Tupoulahi had been King since 1965, succeeding his mother, Queen Salote, who been Queen since 1918.

Tupou weighed in at times at over 200 kilograms.

Crown Prince Sia'osi Taufa'ahau Manumata'ogo Tuku'aho Tupou, a 58 year-old confirmed bachelor, is now King Taufa'ahau Tupou V.

"More than 9,000 Palestinians are in Israeli jails nowadays; it is a nightmarish number. Anyone who knows the Shin Bet security service and the military justice system can safely assume a significant proportion of them are imprisoned for no reason. Israeli society doesn't even ask why so many are jailed."
- Gideon Levy, Ha'aretz, 10.9.06

September 11, 1906: Indian-born lawyer and South African resident Mohandas Gandhi spoke in Johannesburg calling for non-violent resistance to racial discrimination, in particular Transvaal's Asiatic Laws. This week is the centenary of Gandhi's first satyagraha.

Benny Sixteen has cancelled the annual Vatican Yuletide concert.

Initiated by John Paul II in 1993, the annual pop music event has been canned by Benedict XI, apparently because of his disdain for music written by non-German composers alive since 1791. Which kinda narrows it down a little.

Ekklesia takes up the story.

"Outraged scientists stormed out of a government-sponsored climate change conference dinner in Canberra last night, after the strippers booked as entertainment left them all hot and bothered."
- Climate conference strip show storm, smh.com.au, 7.9.06

Congratulations to a former colleague of mine, Alex Balfour, on his appointment as Head of New Media for the London 2012 Organising Committee - the body which is responsible for staging the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.

Allen Stanford's multi-million dollar 20/20 extravaganza has become the latest entrant to the Pantheon of Cricket Vaporware - those would-be cash cows that disappear after, if they're lucky, one outing, or if they're unlucky - none.

The Stanford 20/20 Super Star match, set down between West Indies and South Africa for November 10 with a winner take-all purse of €3.9 million, has been cancelled. The reason will shock you, so sit down.

Law no.1 of Email Etiquette: Never, ever put anything in an email that you wouldn't want the whole world to see. Didn't you know that, Darrell?

Darrell Hair's botched attempt to negotiate an early retirement package for himself was clumsy and ill-advised. But why has it become everybody's business?