open our minds

The Commonwealth Games can survive -- and thrive -- if we think outside the box. There is no need to keep all our eggs in one basket.

Basil Zempilas says that it is "almost possible" for WA to host the Games.

Almost possible has the same meaning as not possible.

What we do have is the magnificent stadium. We could use the Perth Stadium to host Commonwealth track and field events.

Other states have, with NZ, recently hosted World Cup soccer. They are already set up to host the rectangular stadium sports of the Commonwealth Games. Other states can use existing facilities to host other sports.

Other countries could host just a few competitions.

There is no need for one state to build every required white elephant facility.

Spread the Games across the Commonwealth

Spread the cost and share the benefits.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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Too many people consider themselves open-minded when they're really just empty-headed. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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flow-on from greed

The government had a clear central block of land. Accessible to transport. Conveniently close to KEMH and SCGH. An ideal location for new co-located medical facilities. So what did they do?

Even before the dust had cleared from the demolition of PMH -- the land was sold to developers.

It was quickly obvious that the QE2 site is packed full. There is no space for a KEMH replacement.

Now we are told that there is no room for a new cancer centre.

There is no easy solution. No matter how the government fiddles with its business cases -- it is the patients who will suffer.

One greedy decision and the bad effects flow forever.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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Too many people consider themselves open-minded when they're really just empty-headed. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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don't listen to me

I don't particularly like Stan Grant. I don't know him but he strikes me as a person whose career is based on being black.

This time, I agree with him:

On the ABC show W&A the panel members  have been picked because "they have conflict rather than seeking to find connection."

Well of course.

The whole point of a panel discussion is to discuss different opinions.

The problem is that discussion so easily becomes attack.

Then the attacks continue onto social media, where ignorance and insult will always shout down and shut down open minds.

Your mind is only really open if you completely agree with me.

It's a good reflection of society in general, really.

Compare that to You Can't Ask That. Where weird people are allowed to quietly present their own views. Where they quietly demonstrate that they are different -- but still real people.

Back to Q&A. No-one wants a reasoned discussion. No-one wants to find a compromise solution. All we want is for our own ideas to prevail. If you don't agree with me -- I will shout and scream and attack. I will throw a tantrum until you pretend to listen.

I write this blog because I have opinions but don't expect anyone to listen. Certainly not to change their minds. 

It's nice if you agree. But I accept that your opinion (however wrong:-) is a perfectly valid opinion. Right or wrong.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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Too many people consider themselves open-minded when they're really just empty-headed. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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build or market

Kiss of death for glamour building firm. That's the headline as another builder goes bankrupt.

Was this company ever a "building firm"?

Or was it purely an exercise in marketing.

Did the business owners ever intend to build houses? Or was their business plan to suck money from customers, with no intention to ever deliver a house.

The business owners had money at the start. You can bet that they had even more money when the business finally folded.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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Too many people consider themselves open-minded when they're really just empty-headed. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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same news, different views

naplan results are published, see what you want

The West sees that girls are clear winners. That is, girls get better results than boys. Same old same old.

The ABC sees the same results and sees that the results for boys and girls are not as different as in the past. The West sees the difference. The ABC sees a closing gap.

I'm sure both are correct. Each media organisation sees a different story -- in the same facts.

From the millions of available stories, each selects what their audience probably wants. Or... they select what they want their audience to believe.

I was more interested in the ABC introduction to the story:

One school has improved its students' naplan results. Forget the student-led learning by discovery. One school has switched to actual teaching. Here are things you need to know, learn them.And the students actually learn.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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Too many people consider themselves open-minded when they're really just empty-headed. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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one voice, one language

"An aboriginal entertainer sang Waltzing Matilda in the Aboriginal language." This supports the ideal of "One Nation".

Really?

Which one of the hundreds of tribal languages did he choose?

Who checked the translation? Was he really singing, "Once invading whitey came and blew up our sacred billabong".

How many of the audience simply followed along in English... or have the English words been lost in the embarrassment of having a national song that people can actually sing.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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Too many people consider themselves open-minded when they're really just empty-headed. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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simpler -- or simply wrong

Lawyer says lawsuit is about greed, says the headline.

It's about avarice, says the article. So is it greed or avarice?

The lawyer is paid, or over-paid, by the syllable. Big words make him sound smart.

The paper simplifies "avarice" to "greed" -- same meaning -- because headline readers may be a bit thick.

It's only a small change. What other "small" changes does the paper make when reporting "facts"?

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Also, there's lots of competition for handicapped parking. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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wheel nut

What sort of lunatics are loose on the freeway?

Laura Newell writes (8 aug) of the "painfully slow" driving. At 80 -- yes eighty -- kmh.

While driving, she is edging up to the crash barrier on one side. Peering fitfully to the other side looking for a gap where she can cut in front of other less aggressive drivers. She is more interested in the car behind than the traffic in front. Probably also putting on make-up while texting complaints to friends in England.

All this stress for a 26-minute drive (thanks Google). Has she considered starting earlier? Or catching the train (38 minutes)?

When she kills herself on the freeway, I hope she does not kill too many other people.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Also, there's lots of competition for handicapped parking. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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assets grabbed

A male stripper -- accused of drug dealing -- has objected to having his assets seized.

Goodness! a straight line with so many possible punchlines :-)

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Also, there's lots of competition for handicapped parking. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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it's our heritage

I am being denied the right to protect my natural and cultural heritage. I was born in Western Australia. I love the State and would protect it. I am proud of our ten thousand years of history, I want to preserve it.

The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act allows indigenous groups to appeal against damage to our heritage.

Am I not Blak enough to care?

Aboriginal people can identify areas which, for them, have special significance. Just as I can identify a church or a river.

Everyone -- Blak or Whyt -- deserves the right to protect those areas of  significant heritage.

Forget "Aboriginal". We need an effective Cultural Heritage Act.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Also, there's lots of competition for handicapped parking. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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unhealthy talk-fest

Amber-Jade Sanderson speaks: Our state health minister claims to know how many extra health professionals will be needed in another ten years. She's ready to stun us with facts and figures.

To summarise: we need more.

So what does she do? She wastes the time of thousands of current health professionals. at a "so important summit." Yes, she will spend hours telling people how much she claims to know. She will spend hours reading aloud, facts and figures -- guesses -- provided by her over-paid advisors.

What's the matter? Can these people not read?

No. The minister has to stand in the spotlight and look important. Wasting other people's time in order to boost her own self-importance.

What a waste of time.

We all know the problems. This is what the minister should do:

Stop whingeing about all the problems: find solutions. That's why you're in charge. Solve the problems -- and recruit more professional health staff. Solve the problems -- and set up work conditions so that staff want to stay. Put more health effort into prevention rather than treatment. Take actions that visibly solve at least some of the problems.

And *then* take as long as you like to tell us what you have done.

Earn the right to tell us that you have actually done something useful.

Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Also, there's lots of competition for handicapped parking. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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maintain the passion

Chantelle Otten suggests (3 Aug) that we can "spice up passion on the cheap".

My wife and I pretended that we were on a skiing holiday, we had sex in front of the open freezer.

It was amazing.

Unfortunately we are now banned from the supermarket

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper

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In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Also, there's lots of competition for handicapped parking. (Alfred E. Neuman)

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