Submitted by rickeyre on
What do our pollies in Australia care for microcredit? On September 4 Peter Garrett initiated a debate in the House of Reps urging the government to support the Microcredit Summit goals. As usual, six MPs got five minutes each to speak to the motion, and then the debate was adjourned indefinitely. (Refer my item of September 17 re Darfur.)
Submitted by rickeyre on
"Innovations such as YouTube are just one of many reasons why technology and time are making a nonsense of the current media rules."
- Senator Helen Coonan, addressing the conservative Millennium Forum, Sydney, 3.10.06
One week after the Minister for Information and Communication Technology cites Youtube as an example of contemporary media diversity, we are greeted this morning with the following news: Google To Acquire YouTube for $1.65 Billion in Stock.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Julie Bishop is one of the brighter hopefuls in the ever-depleting talent pool of the federal Liberal Party. Alternatively, she has been pushed to the forefront by the Howard Government as the Anti-Gillard. Certainly she is one of the few female members of cabinet the JWH era who is neither (a) in the mould of Jeanette Howard, or (b) Amanda Vanstone. (Or indeed c, the unrelated Bronwyn Bishop).
Submitted by rickeyre on
Peter Norman died in Melbourne yesterday at the age of 64. He should be regarded as one of Australia's greatest sporting legends. He probably won't be.
At a time when Australia's prowess on the athletics track was in decline, Norman's crowning achievement was to win the silver medal in the 200 metres at the Mexico Olympics in 1968. The gold medallist in that event was Tommie Smith, the bronze medallist John Carlos.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Today, Friday May 26, is National Sorry Day in Australia. Instituted in 1997, it is the annual commemoration of the tens of thousands of indigenous Australian children who were forcibly removed from their homes as children.
It's not a holiday, but it is certainly a day when all Australians should stop to reflect on the destruction of indigenous society and culture over the past two and a quarter centuries, and which is still happening, not just in the Northern Territory but all across the country.
More information about National Sorry Day can be found on the NSD Committee's website.
Submitted by rickeyre on
After his heroic backs-to-the-wall matchwinning knock to get Australia out of jail against cricketing powerhouse Bangladesh, there is a question begging to be asked of Ponting comma RT full stop:
Submitted by rickeyre on
Australia 434 for 4 lost to South Africa 438 for 9.
Having not followed the game last night, I awoke with horror at the scoreline on the 7am news on the radio. As Tourism Australia would say, "bloody hell".
Submitted by rickeyre on
For one reason or another, this is the first chance I have had to write up my thoughts on the VB Series finals. I'll turn this into a memory test, and not refer to any source material:
Australia won. Sri Lanka had the series in their grasp until Jayawardene grasped a half-volley off Ponting in Game Two.
Submitted by rickeyre on
It's just about time to embark on the post-mortems for the 27th annual Australian ODI triseries. With this in mind, I thought it might be worthwhile to delve deep into the bowels of CricInfo archives and look at an exercise I conducted at the end of the 2000-01 tournament (the Carlton Series as it was called that year).
Submitted by rickeyre on
We're one game away from what would be the best thing to happen to Australian cricket in years. A cleansweep drubbing by Sri Lanka in the ODI triseries final.
Of course, we can probably expect Australia to win game two at the SCG and then have an acrimonious game three at the Telstra Dome Gabba on Tuesday. But a two-zip to Sri Lanka would put a big smile on my face, and on many others no doubt.
