travel to home

J M Gordon suggests that the government should put money towards building houses rather than free public transport. Letters 31 Jan

He or she misses the point. Homeless families can now afford to sleep on the buses and trains

... Nick Lethbridge, Churchlands

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Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

fake friends

there's a scam where a Facebook friend can't get to a taylor swift concert. so, reluctantly, they use FB to sell their tickets.

except that the tickets don't exist.

perhaps the "friend" does not exist.

FB encourages people to "friend" people they have never met. who can lie, or not, with no chance to discover the truth. friends' motives are equally hidden. the key measure is numbers, fb wants you to have as many friends as possible. more friends equals more advertising revenue for fb.

then a "friend" turns out to be a crook.

perhaps Facebook needs a new category:

a friend is someone who you can physically verify... that is, you can see them. or at least phone them. *talk* to them. ask them why they can't get to the concert.

Any other FB link becomes a "stalker".

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

PM is for real

thank goodness. there i was thinking that albanese was elected as PM on the strength of his ability to fake an aussie accent. a pretence that he is just one of us.

now it turns out that he is also able to... lie. to break promises and make dramatic and arbitrary changes, all for political opportunism.

thank goodness. it turns out that he is a *real* politician after all.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

regrets suck

"when told of a serious diagnosis" a man will wish he had lived a better life (letters 23/1). Really? Does impending death teach nothing?

When I was told that my cancer is incurable and terminal, I set my mind to a positive future.

Yes, it took a while. And some effort. I told my wife that we had perhaps two more years. So we set out to enjoy life. Okay, to continue to enjoy life.

It is not all good, no life is. I am not going to spoil it with useless regrets.

The past is done. There is still the present and the future to be improved and enjoyed. Don't just wish. Do good now.

... Nick Lethbridge, Churchlands

====

printed in The West a few days later

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

future cringe

Gary Martin suggests (cringe-worthy 22 Jan) that today's thinking needs to consider future attitudes. He cites current activities that already make some people cringe. 

This argument is already in common use.

Our grandchildren will blame us for destruction of the natural environment. Future generations will be horrified at our attitude to same-sex marriage. Future society will be aghast at our naive belief that influencers speak only the truth.

What Martin fails to do, because it is impossible, is to predict the future.

Perhaps our impoverished grandchildren will curse us for the potential wealth that we refused to dig out from under renewable trees.

Will future generations laugh in disbelief because we allow couples to be openly heterosexual. Will they cringe when old people tell them of the days when murderers, white-collar criminals and rapists of children are allowed to live freely in our society.

We must make the best possible decisions for what we know today. And hope that tomorrow will be able to live, despite our most egregious mistakes.

... Nick Lethbridge, Churchlands

====

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

schools use various methods to teach reading. academics argue over which "best practice" method is the best, best practice. 

Each change of method costs time, money and teaching effort.The paper hopes to scare parents into making newsworthy protests. (hopping mad, 22 Jan)

As a parent I don't care about academic point-sorting. I just want little Johnny to learn to read.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

short-listing suspects

"police hunt burswood sex attacker". they provide a physical description.

To speed up the hunt they may as well  provide a list of all convicted rapists who have recently been released on parole.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

social standard

the paper reports that some young people are drinking less -- because they do not want to see their drunken ramblings being viewed all over the Internet.

thank goodness. At last, a victory for social peer pressure.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

Test of power

Cricket Australia has made the correct decision. There will be no reference to an "Australia Day" Test.

What would you prefer to watch on TV: a game of cricket, or a mob of anti-Australia blaks shouting obscenities.

When the threat of violent protest is more powerful than voting -- democracy is dead. Another victory for blak mob power.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

who are the fools

i hope that the west will publish more of trumps nomination speeches. will they be similar ramblings of an old fool, as his detractors would have us believe. or will we see him continue to build a powerful argument for his election.

he begins with praise for friend and foe alike. don't we all look petty when we respond with personal attacks on his hair style.

trump continues with calls for unity. what, you would rather divide our country?

then he hits the emotional hot buttons. he will give Americans what they want, with no detail of how.

keep out illegal immigrants, that would also be a big winner in Australia. deport illegals who are also criminals. that gets my vote. build the economy and defeat terrorism, who can object.

trump will fight crime. no details of how. he leaves it to his opponents to support crime, or to support trump.

he claims friendship with various world leaders. our own politicians brag about a carefully choreographed smile from a Chinese dictator. they all pretend that supposed friendship equates to actual influence

trump is supported by fools who follow their emotions rather than facts. he is opposed by fools who think that trump himself is a fool.

with all the fools either for him or not treating him seriously, Trump has a large enough majority in any country.

... Nick Lethbridge, Churchlands

====

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

.

power or principle

Tony Burke is a federal labor politician. dp world is a multinational port management company. mwu is an Australian union wanting more money for its workers.

while dpw fights mwu, dpw is unable to keep ports managed. perhaps they should not have signed to an unworkable contact.

now dpw wants tb to interfere. presumably to use government powers to push mwu into line. tb refuses to interfere. there is a suggestion that tb had a history of support for unions against business.

congratulations!

Labor is supposed to represent "the workers". standard political practice is to support whichever group offers the best "incentives".

If Tony Burke really does preference unions... he is very close to being a politician with principles.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

reject colonialism

our foreign minister is prancing round the middle east, spruiking the benefits of australian colonialism. listen to us. follow our example, she says. you will be so much better off.

this is in a part of the world where barbarians exist with the sole aim of slaughtering their traditional enemies. and any new atrocity brings out fresh shouts that mine is bigger than yours and new threats to keep on killing till all opposition is exterminated.

this is their culture. perhaps this is what they enjoy? certainly neither side... none of the sides... shows any signs of wanting to implement australian standards of civilised behaviour.

their barbarian cultures support eternal warfare. if it overflows, Australia has the right to defend itself. other than that, the people of the middle east have the right to live, and to die,  in whatever way their culture requires.

many Australians have rejected British colonialism. we have damned its effects on indigenous cultures. we have no right to now claim that australian colonialism is any better.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

pick one day

Jenna Woods is happy to throw fuel on the Australia Day debate.

she cites past injustice against Blaks. She offers nothing positive on Australia's advances since the 1960s.She proclaims her own tribal allegiances, which will immediately put her at odds with eastern states tribes.

She wants a day on which we can all reflect and celebrate.  What she fails to offer is any alternative date.

Let us accept that Jan 26th is too Whyt. That leaves May 21st or June 9th. Listen to all objections -- then pick one, Put past hatreds aside, Pick one date. Then move forward. So we can all celebrate an Australia Day together.

... Nick Lethbridge, Churchlands

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

too fit for work

researchers have found that light exercise can improve creativity. so avoid it.

do you want a promotion? avoid creativity. just agree with the boss.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

we won't f*** with the jew

lesbian couple reject donor sperm for being Jewish, 15 Jan

who'd have guessed. lesbians can be just as stupid as anyone else.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

not allege to stand on

i guess the placement was deliberate. on page six (15 Jan) we have a magistrate who wants every alleged criminal released on bail. Mr gluestein gets so very tired having to do what he is paid to do.

then on page seven we have an alleged criminal allegedly on bail, who allegedly raped an alleged teenage girl in an alleged toilet.

the alleged magistrate appears to give his lunch break more importance than public safety. allegedly.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

welcome to greyville

i have to admire casino boss David tsai. he wants to remove the dullsville tag from perth.

he stands with his shiny white smile on his plasticised smooth face, topped by his number two buzz cut hair style. looking so very cool in his bland grey suit.

but with a coloured hankie in his jacket pocket!

oh my goodness me. i can barely imagine the thrill of excitement that this grey corporate drone could bring to our city.

will a coloured hankie be compulsory? wow.

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

quotable inspiration

Langer (Jan 13) seems to be inspired by reading, on the wall of his private office at the WACA, "Life is difficult."

I prefer my inspiration to be more positive.

"Live life to the full but leave room for dessert". thanks Ginger Meggs

Or if I'm seeking sympathy, " Life is easy, death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome." (Asimov)

... Nick Lethbridge, Churchlands

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you

racial suicide

Generations of Blak people are being destroyed by alcohol (8 Jan). No news there. what is wrong is to blame the government.

There is a major industry of I'm-so-Blak people growing fat by standing between "their" people and help.

Every attempt at support must be deemed as self-managed and culturally appropriate by these self appointed leeches. Anything else is damned as being paternalistic or, worse, colonialism.

Is there a word for racial suicide?

====

Nick Lethbridge    /    Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting    /   Problems? Solved.
   ===


As Conan says: What does not kill you
does not kill you