"Queen Victoria may have ruled a British empire on which the sun never set. But it's been Bill Gates and the USA's IT revolution which has made English the world's lingua franca. The Queen's English is now a minority among the many dialects of English worldwide - American, British, Australian, Singaporean, Indian, etc. Global forums [...]
"The pen is said to be mightier than the sword. And these days when it comes to narrative non fiction it often takes no prisoners. In the wake of the uproar from Broome residents over Anne Coombs and Susan Varga's just published Broometime, publisher Hodder Headline has just recalled the book from outlets. And it's [...]
"As Tina Turner might have sung, "What's age got to do, got to, got to do with it?" Likewise, Democrats leader Meg Lees and her deputy, Natasha Stott Despoja. Tina, 62 this year, appears ageless. While Meg (aged 52) and Natasha (aged 31) seem to have an age problem. Lees, on Ten's Meet The Press [...]
"It may come as a shock, but Australia is no longer seriously looking for immigrants - not by today's standards. Our postwar migration program was one of the most aggressive in the world - but not any more. Australia's migrant intake last year was equal to Japan's, after allowing for differences in population, and Japan [...]
"When Freud asked, "What do women want?" he didn't expect a reply. Women were hysterical, depressed, dissatisfied and envied his penis. But women found an answer - fulfilment. Foreget the penis, as Germaine Greer would say. Although men better women at throwing a shot put, hitting balls or speeds for running and swimming, in other [...]
"THE suicide of Labor MP Greg Wilton has focused attention on the pressures of political life for families and MPs. Kim Beazley has asked Labor MPs to counsel colleagues who show signs of stress, saying political life "puts a premium on stress and a premium on distance". John Howard also commented that in politics men [...]
"Denise Allen, winner of the Benalla by-election in Victoria last Saturday, takes the number of female Labor MPs nationwide to 101. Of these, 68 were supported by Labor women's group Emily's List, 38 of whom are new to parliament since Emily's List was formed in 1996. But there's still a long way to go, says [...]
"Education has not been more closely linked to work in a century. The slogan is no longer "Learning for life" but "A lifetime of learning". "Today's education system," says Kim Beazley, "was designed for the economy we used to be ...[not] for the economy we must become. We are already seeing big skills gaps opening [...]
"So Tony Blair has triumphed with the lowest turnout of voters in 80 years. Just one in four voters backed New Labour. Indifference to political rhetoric was the clear winner. And this was predicted, months out, in a surprising study from Demos. And as Malcolm McGregor observed (The Australian 21/6), voters in Britain have just [...]
"AMONG THE BARBARIANS - Paul Sheehan (Random) BLACK ARMBAND DAYS - Richard Hall (Vintage) THE UNMAKING OF AMERICANS -John J Miller (Simon & Schuster) My first remembered encounter with Paul Sheehan was at a function in Sydney. Without introduction he approached and criticised my short haircut. The longer version was more flattering. His comments were [...]