You’re an important part of my body, controlling aspects of my airflow. You used to be so nice, Allan. You didn’t make a noise when you weren’t wanted. You could hold the air and then just let it out slowly, noiselessly, in privacy, when I was alone, on my instruction. But about five years ago, you started unexpectedly exploding at the most inopportune times. Frankly, Allan, we can’t go on this way.
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SURPRISES FROM COVI ISO
Six weeks into covi iso (as Gen Millenials would say) now, we’ve had some unexpected benefits, along with the expected costs. But some things have surprised me – things we wouldn’t have expected.Read More »
THE UGLY TRUTH: CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES SACRIFICE THE YOUNG TO BENEFIT THE OLD
I rarely agree with Trump…but he’s right (for the wrong reasons) to call to open up the economy. The ugly truth is this: we are currently sacrificing the Young (say Under 60s) for the benefit of the Old (say Over 60s). Progressing from the current lockdowns should address this. Here’s how.Read More »
More Benefits of Coronavirus! (No. 3)
Now that we are really ‘into’ coronavirus (I’ve been self isolating for 4 weeks now), even more benefits have become apparent. Here are 4 more major benefits.Read More »
CORONAVIRUS IN AUSTRALIA: DO THE FACTS JUSTIFY THE ACTIONS?
We are all very concerned about the spread of CV, the overall risk to us and the chance of personally dying. Information from the Department of Health’s reporting (health.gov.au – coronavirus current statistics), as opposed to the media and pictures you get, show that the real story is significantly different from people’s fears. Do the facts justify the current set of actions? What should be/should have been done?Read More »
‘SEE WHAT YOU MADE ME DO’
Jess Hill has written a seminal book with this name on domestic violence/abuse in Australia. As we all know, this is a scourge within our society. At least one woman a week is killed from this, usually by a partner or ex-partner. But we – the general population – seem to have no idea how to stop these killings, or the huge number of cases of ongoing domestic abuse within our society.
Short-listed for the Stella Prize, this book examines why domestic abuse (a wider term, covering mental as well as physical abuse) occurs in a way I’ve never seen before. Like Bruce Pascoe’s ‘Dark Emu’ (on indigenous history) and Esther Perel’s ‘State of Affairs’ (on why affairs occur), it provides deep insights that conflict with orthodox thinking on a major society issue. I strongly recommend you read it to understand why men kill, maim and abuse their loved and loving partners. Here’s my brief summary.Read More »
The BENEFITS of Coronavirus (No. 2)
Two weeks in self-isolation now, it’s interesting to reflect on the BENEFITS we’re getting from CV (why has no one else abbreviated it to this yet…?).
Written at the start of self-isolation, my previous blog (‘The BENEFITS of Coronavirus’) written at the start outlined several benefits – reduction in global carbon emissions, technology innovation, re-discovering old skills, undertaking new skills, completing projects you had been putting off. Here are some more benefits that have emerged after two weeks of personal experiences.Read More »
The BENEFITS of Coronavirus!
While we’re all bemoaning the impact of coronavirus on our personal worlds, crises like these often change some aspects of our behaviour positively, permanently. Since the Esso Longford Bass Strait gas explosion in 1998 stopped our gas supply for several months and we had no hot water or stove, we switched to washing clothes in cold water…and never changed back. Unpredicted stock market crashes in 1987 and 2001 (repeated in 2008 and now 2020) led me to use professional investment advice, despite my own financial background. I proved to myself that someone else made better decisions than I had…and I became more conservative as well.
So what unexpected positive changes will the coronavirus epidemic bring, as it bears down so rapidly upon us?Read More »
‘ALWAYS RESPECTED. NEVER LOVED’.
I always want to be loved. But I’m rarely prepared to behave in a way that might make me loved. Recently a good friend said, ‘You’re always respected, but never loved’. It hurt…but it’s true. If I want to be loved, why don’t I change my behaviour?Read More »
The Purpose of Life? Helping Others
While life’s ‘biggest thrill’ may be personal freedom (as I recently blogged), what is the ‘purpose’ of life? For religious believers, the answer is easy – the promise of an after-life. But for the vast non-believing majority, the question is vital: why are we here?Read More »
