Apologies folks for missing out on a post earlier in the week. Family commitments got in the way but I'm here again today dispensing some wisdom for you all. You guys might not consider it wisdom I guess, but you're here aren't you so there must be something that is interesting and read-worthy. Isn't there?
Anyway, the topic for today is stuff that makes me shake my head in disagreement, disillusion and sometimes disgust. Not exactly light and witty holiday reading, but hey, that might come next week when I've had a chance to get some of this off my chest.
Firstly, this article tells of how former Prime Minister John Howard helped launch a book yesterday with the purpose of teaching school children to reject the notion of climate change. Howard lent his not inconsiderable weight to the arguments in the book by addressing the launch and telling all that he felt climate change was 'political propaganda' and science in our schools was being hyjacked by the mysterious 'left' (be alert AND alarmed people!).
Now whatever your thoughts on climate change are, surely you are asking the question, isn't this the man that went to the 2007 Federal Election with a policy to introduce an emissions trading scheme to help fight climate change? For instance:
So what has changed for the former PM to so drastically alter his position? Plain old political expediency I would guess now that the Coalition has moved into the climate change denier realm. Or is it just that former Prime Ministers will turn up to the opening of an envelope and have a say to maintain some sort of relevance? Definitely head shaker material for mine.
Next we have yesterday's release of stats showing that mining exploration is booming. Not exactly 'news' I know but take a look at these figures for the September 2011 quarter - Iron ore exploration up 9%, coal exploration up 12% and on-shore petroleum exploration up 33%.
And that's just for the quarter. As Peter Martin reveals, for the year to the September 2011 quarter, coal exploration jumped 167%, iron ore exploration 54% and on-shore petroleum exploration 18%. The ABS stats also show that total capital expenditure by resource companies stands at a record high of $232 billion.
Yep, the resource industry is booming beyond anything else seen before. But isn't this the industry that is meant to be dead in the water now that a carbon price and minerals resource rent tax (MRRT) are to be enacted in the next year or so? Didn't the industry itself through various media campaigns and the Federal Opposition decry both policies as killing the boom 'stone dead' and effectively killing our economy?
Why then, are resource companies investing in exploration and looking for new deposits at record levels if the industry is meant to be dead in just a few short years? Mining companies and billionaire mining executive aren't stupid people, but investing heavily in something that will no longer exist shortly, according to the campaigns and the opposition, would be a pretty stupid idea wouldn't it?
Of course it would. So the reality must be that the industry is going along very nicely thank you with future prospects better than ever before even with the incoming carbon price and MRRT. That means they are not the 'end of the world' at all as the campaigns and associated media reporting have told us. So yep, another bout of head shaking when I think back to the hysteria about both and the faux outrage of the likes of Twiggy Forrest and Tony Abbott.
There's just two recent examples anyway. The world is a madhouse it seems and there's no shortage of causes for disagreement, disillusionment and disgust.
It's a wonder my head stays on its shoulders with all the other reasons for head shaking that pop up on an almost daily basis. I feel like a laughing clown at the show sometimes. That's just a metaphor by the way. Don't be trying to shove a ball down my throat next time you see me.
Speaking of which, stay tuned for another instalment of Nah Seriously in the coming days. A Xmas break beckons but there's still some time for more musings in the days between.
A short post today but meaningful nonetheless because it's a shout-out to a new(ish) Brisbane band called Ball Park Music.
Why am I doing a shoutout for them? Well, I have a personal connection in that Sam, their frontman, was/is the barista at my favourite coffee spot in the Brisbane CBD. I'm obviously up the coast at the moment but my daily small double shot flat white was an absolute must when I was back working and it was Joel, the owner, and Sam that fed my addiction.
And I say 'fed' because it was the kind of service whereby they knew my order by heart and a sly nod and a wink would let me know they were on to it before I'd even got to the front of the queue. So I highly recommend them for anyone searching for a brew on George Street. The Frisky Goat is the name. Shizza, that's two shout-outs now.
Back to BPM. Now I say a 'newish' Brissy band because they are already getting plenty of exposure after winning a Triple J Unearthed spot at the Gold Coast BigDayOut earlier in the year but also took out the Unearthed Artist Of The Year during the recent J Awards and were nominated for Album Of The Year.
So in my best Molly Meldrum voice, 'do yourselves a favour' and check out Ball Park Music's new album, Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs. Knowing some of you as well as I do, I reckon the Cover Art will be a hit at least.
Anyway, below is their current single, All I Want Is You, so happy listening and catch you all soon.
I know I'm not working at the moment so advocating for another day off is a little indulgent. But hey, I'm a man of the people and therefore support anything that gives my followers and fans some additional respite and relaxation.
If you haven't heard already, the Queensland Government has announced that from 2012, the Queen's Birthday Public Holiday will be moved from early June to the first Monday in October. But the bonus next year is that we will also get a public holiday in early June for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee as a means of ensuring a smooth transition for events and programs that have already counted on a public holiday then.
This move comes after a discussion paper was released earlier in the year where Queenslanders were asked for their opinions on the number of public holidays they have and when they fall. That consultation overwhelmingly supported spreading public holiday throughout the year. And it's not like the Queen's birthday is in June anyway (21 April for the record). That date is a throw-back to Victorian times so there's definitely an argument that the times-have-a-changed since then.
While I'd much rather prefer to be celebrating Republic Day, the decision to move the Queen's Birthday Public Holiday to October is long awaited for mine as Queenslanders have suffered too long with no public holiday set down for the second half of the year. From early June onwards there's been nothing, which makes for a very long six and a bit months before the Xmas break.
You can certainly see in people come October/November that they are burnt out and in need of a break. Energy levels are sapped, particularly as the temperatures and humidity start to rise, and everyone is just praying for the end of the year to come. Admittedly, Brisbane people have the EKKA Holiday in August, but that's just the capital so there's still a massive part of the State struggling through.
A win-win then surely? But sadly, no. Fore there is always someone having a whinge and in this case it's the various retailers' groups (Australian Retailers Association, National Retailers Association, United Retailers Federation just to name a few). Now, I can definitely see why such organisations exist and applaud retailers getting together to try and raise a voice on issues that concern them (much like a trade union, but for businesses rather than workers).
The thing is though, is that all I hear from them is complaint. If it's not about an extra public holiday next year causing a small increase in staff costs for one day (a day when the public won't be working and most likely will be spending mind you), it's the changing value of the Aussie dollar causing import costs to go up and down.
And if they're not trying to pressure the Reserve Bank to lower interest rates so that people can spend a lot more on things they don't need, it's them complaining about customers moving towards online shopping rather than visiting their stores (maybe some decent customer service instore would help out on that one).
So yes, just once, I'd like to hear a positive thing come from the retailers. Although it would probably take the return of WorkChoices for that.
I sure don't envy individual retailers and their choice as to which representational organsation to join though. And maybe that's the problem. Each organisation is competing with each other to be the 'voice' of retail businesses and is therefore keen to 'cry out' the loudest. The more 'airtime' you get, the more members and all that.
Anyway, I reckon it's time to celebrate the sensible move of spreading our public holidays out from now on and the added bonus of an extra day off next year. I'm so keen on celebrating, in fact, that perhaps we should have another public holiday for that also. EDM Day?
Awesome. I'll start the petition now. Just don't tell the retailers.
"Modern life is rubbish", as the Blur song goes. Not so much rubbish, but bloody complicated if you ask me. And mainly because of all the mixed messages reported in the media these days and the contradictions that exist amongst all the research and studies that get reported.
Not sure what I'm on about? You know, the "eat more fish for the omega-3, but not too much because of the mercury". And "get more sun for the vitamin D, but not too much because of the skin cancer threat".
Or "drink fruit juice for the vitamins and minerals, but not too much because they're full of sugar". And one for a lot of the women I know at the moment, "it's OK to have a little caffeine or alcohol while pregnant" while others say "strictly no caffeine or alcohol". Which one are we to believe?
Yeah, getting by in this mad, crazy world is hard enough as it is without all these mixed messages and contradictions. We're all just trying to do the best thing and live our lives as best we can in our own particular circumstances. But being told to "do this but don't do that", and "have x amount of this but don't have more than x amount of that" just makes your brain hurt. Well, mine anyway.
The worst part is that we're bombarded with these messages on a daily basis through the media and every one of them purports to be based on the best evidence and be the latest advice.
But sometimes they're only being reported in the media because they go against the mainstream and current thinking in that area. So the actual research might be completely faulty and based on illogical persumptions or calculations. But because it's different it gets reported on and once again we're hit with another contradicting message.
As a result of all this, you're constantly confused about which way to go and what you should do. One day you think you're doing something right, but by the next, your scratching your head because 'apparently' that something might be wrong.
Yes, I'm sick to death of all these contradictions and just wish I could turn them off. Unfortunately, the so-called 'information age' means they're everywhere and you just can't escape the latest 'recommendations' and claims. While the info age is a great thing in so many ways, this is not one of them. I just wish there was a spam filter on my life for 'mixed messages reported in the media'.
The best thing to do in response to all the contradictory information out there, by my reckoning anyway, is to live your life in moderation and don't excess on anything (if only I could practice what I preach sometimes). But most of all, and as hard as it may be sometimes, to take the so-called expert's advice with a grain of salt and not let the mixed messages stress you out too much.
Certainly on a personal level, the wife and I have had reason to question some of the experts in our lives of late so believe me when I tell you that they don't always have the answers and most of the time they are merely 'guess-timating' based on their increased experience rather than having a definite and infallible remedy for the problem at hand. Experts, Schemksperts!
Anyway, that's my latest rant from the EDM Files titled "Things that make my brain hurt". So excuse me while I get a glass of red wine for all its antioxidant values but promise I won't have too much because of the alcohol content and the increased risk of cancers.
I'll also make sure I get to bed at a reasonable hour to ensure I get the 'right' amount of sleep for proper brain functioning but of course not too much because I don't want to wake up lethargic and unable to concentrate.
(currently smacking hand into side of head to relieve the brain ache)
