Australian stuff Discrimination against women politicians in Australia 21 Sep 201121 Sep 2011 The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the rough equivalent of the BBC or NPR, has a “comedy” show entitled “At Home with Julia”, a parody of the Australian Prime Minister’s home life as an unmarried couple with partner Tim Mathieson. Now, every public figure who is playing a role in public life is… Continue Reading
Academe Is reality liberal biased? Are liberals reality biased? 15 Jun 201118 Sep 2017 Josh Rosenau has a piece up on Chris Mooney’s latest article on the Republican war on science in the US. Conservative bodies around the western world seem to resist science when it conflicts with policy (usually driven by PR from large corporations), so the point is more than simply American… Continue Reading
Australian stuff Australian scientists resign from Murray-Darling Water commission due to a lack of heed 21 May 2011 I don’t usually post these announcements, but GetUp are reliable and on target. Today it was revealed that key scientists have walked away from the government’s Murray Darling Basin Authority process in protest. Right now the Murray Darling Basin Authority is in the final stages of recommending how to deal… Continue Reading
Administrative Me-mail 21 May 2011 I hate moving, so the Universe has kindly arranged that I must do it around once per year. Despite having pared my possessions down to a begging bowl, loin cloth, and several thousand books, it is still a royal pain. But the worst aspect of it is that you have… Continue Reading
Australian stuff Vale Lionel Rose 9 May 2011 Back in the late 70s I was a weedy hippy with good intentions. One time I and a flatmate were walking through the Melbourne suburb of Carlton when we came across an older aborigine who was somewhat the worse for wear. He seemed lost, so we asked him if we… Continue Reading
Australian stuff On the Greens, Israel, and the fallacy of composition 4 Apr 20114 Apr 2011 This is likely to upset some people. I apologise in advance. It is also about Australian politics. In Australia recently, the Greens have been making up a lot of ground, becoming in some electorates the second most popular party after the conservative Liberal Party. Consequently the two “major” (one now… Continue Reading
Administrative Update on a pilgrim’s progress 21 Jan 201122 Jun 2018 Okay, well it’s more like the John Wayne sense of “pilgrim” than John Bunyan, but here I am, having gotten out of Dodge Brisbane just as the latest natural disaster hit. “Here” being the Blue Mountains outside of Sydney. Once my goods and chattels were “uplifted”, to use the quaint… Continue Reading
Administrative Stuck in rural Queensland 27 Dec 201022 Jun 2018 So, here I am, marooned in Warwick, southeast of Brisbane, about one and a half hours drive. Stuck here by this: We missed getting through by half an hour or so. We may be stranded for two days… And no Internet! Continue Reading
Australian stuff Australians and science 7 Dec 2010 A new poll has shown, they say, that Australians are more interested in science than sport, and think politicians should pay attention to the scientists (are you listening, Tony Abbott?). At least half think we should rely more on science than faith. This is good, and better than some, but… Continue Reading
Australian stuff Unbelievers aren’t quite human, part 2 29 Nov 2010 Cardinal Fang, exemplar of all that is moral, has declared that people without faith have ”nothing beyond the constructs they confect to cover the abyss”, and “people without religion… are frightened by the future”. “”Australian society will become increasingly coarse and uncaring … if Christian principles are excluded from public… Continue Reading