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Category: opinions and journalism

Word Power: on humans acting irresponsibly, idiotically…knowingly

Published November 6, 2024 by Pelidoug

Word Power: on humans acting irresponsibly, idiotically…knowingly

 

 

This post is a pointer to two opinion pieces.

Both are particularly worth reading in light of the re-election – as leader of “our” planet’s most powerful “democracy” – of an incorrigible liar, felon, bully, ignoramus, narcissist, jingoist, misogynist (probably, also a “sex offender”) and racist.

Just published by ABC News, Carrington Clarke’s is an immediate response to Donald Trump’s victory.

The October 2024 edition of The Monthly published Tim Winston’s more finely-crafted essay, which makes absolutely no direct reference to the American presidential election.

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Word power(lessness): fatuous sentence of the year award

Published December 12, 2023 by Pelidoug

It is hard to imagine how anybody could top ABC News Director Justin Stevens’ latest  contribution to the ever-burgeoning array of managerial weasel-speak.

Today, when announcing the “difficult” decision to axe The Drum, “as part of a wider restructure which would see a programs team on the ABC News Channel disbanded and one executive position abolished”, Stevens delivered this 100% pure nugget of fools’ gold:

Stopping things does not diminish their previous value or contribution,

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Word power: (un)common sense on cats as pets, in Australia (with cat-connected Namibian & Tunisian bonus content)

Published November 15, 2023 by Pelidoug

Word power: (un)common sense on cats as pets, in Australia (with cat-connected Namibian & Tunisian bonus content)

 

 

 

“Our” world is so oversaturated with sensationalism, misrepresentation, haranguing, intolerance, name-calling, “cancelling”, “virtue signalling” and the “100% this versus 100% that” school of argumentation.

It has become an increasingly rare pleasure to read a measured and sensible newspaper article, devoted to a highly contentious topic.

The relevant piece was published this week in the Australian edition of The Guardian.

Fully cognisant of cats’ devastating impact on Australian wildlife, it addresses this question:

can we have cats (as pets) in a sustainable and ethical way?

You may be surprised to know that the answer is yes, albeit yes, if…

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Word power: Timothy Snyder on Putin’s Russia v Ukraine

Published November 29, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: Timothy Snyder on Putin’s Russia v Ukraine

(Yale-based historian Timothy Snyder is best known as the author of Blood Lands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, a book which profoundly enriched/jolted not a few readers’ understanding of “The Holocaust”, this reader’s included)

What European history really shows, and quite powerfully, is that in order to become, quote unquote, a ‘normal’ European country, you have to become post-imperial, [meaning] you have to lose your wars.

Snyder’s words, quoted immediately above and below, are from an article published in today’s Australian edition of The Guardian.

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Word power: tax (cartoonist’s, economist’s & songster’s perspectives)

Published October 9, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: tax (cartoonist’s, economist’s & songster’s perspectives)

 

Australians’ 2022 views on taxation – and on taxation “reform” – are “informed” by a confusing array of truths, lies, twaddle, insight, credulity, chicanery, chutzpah, self-interested opportunism (sometimes naked, sometimes disguised) , rank hypocrisy, timidity, virtue-signalling, obfuscation, indifference, compassion, cruelty, ignorance, knowledge, and honest uncertainty.

The featured image is (Jon) Kudlelka’s cartoon for the 08 October 2022 edition of The Saturday Paper

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Word power: politically “astute”, utterly irresponsible, lethal…

Published October 3, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: politically “astute”, utterly irresponsible, lethal…

 

 

In this writer’s view, such a headline fairly describes how Australian governments, plural, have now “dropped the ball” on COVID-19.

Don’t take my word for it, but please do pay attention to the words and views of actual experts on epidemic management:

The number of deaths from COVID in Australia in the first nine months of 2022 is more than ten times the annual national road toll of just over 1,000 – but we are not rushing to remove seat belts or drink-driving laws so people can have more freedom…

While it was hoped hybrid immunity from vaccines and prior infection would reduce subsequent infections, this has not been the reality. Reinfection is becoming more common….

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Word power: not-blind Fred on ‘22 election

Published May 4, 2022 by Pelidoug

Word power: not-blind Fred on ‘22 election

 

It is worth remembering that these are the observations of a former senior Federal Government Minister, also – in Opposition – a Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, and that he departed Parliament at a time of his own choosing, as one of its more widely-respected members.

A government that must deal with sensible independent centrists is better than a government that must rely on the support of the most eccentric ends of its party spectrum.

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