Jesus played cricket: opened the batting
Two interesting reports caught my eye tonight: one that Jesus played cricket and the other that William Shakespeare was a Catholic.
Neither comes as a shock. There have long been rumors that Bill was a Mick, but author Joseph Pearce has apparently found new evidence.
Jesus would have been a great opening batsman and handy spin bowler. Unlike Bradman, who just fell short, he would have certainly achieved the 100 average. Read more
Hiring journalists from other professions
The Advocate in Burnie has advertised for journalists. Nothing unusual in that, except they have pitched the ad at non-journalists.
I find this intriguing and refreshing. I’ve employed some mature people before who weren’t trained journalists and I saw a couple come through earlier in my career with mixed results.
Mostly though, they were successful. It’s like the adage that nobody has stronger faith than the convert.
The Advocate has stated they want people who are committed to their community, adding that people skills and writing skills are key attributes. Read more
When decades-old charges go to court
We have been following a jury trial for the past few days involving an 80-year-old man charged with sex offences which the prosecution alleged occurred 40 years ago involving his niece, who was a child at the time.
The man was found not guilty.
This type of trial troubles me for several reasons. Read more
AFL Celtic idea abandoned
I thought it curious last Saturday The Age ran with a front-page lead story on the possibility of an Irish-theme team being established in Sydney. The story was also prominent on Fairfax websites.
Today there is a story online, which is far more realistic, headlined West Sydney ground zero.
It talks about building a broad-based supporter base from scratch for a new team. This paragraph is nestled in the story:
Less than a week after it was reported that the league was considering a proposal to create an Irish-aligned club — known as the Celtics — that idea has been effectively abandoned.
Stop poaching doctors from poor countries
I’m not sure about the desirability or sustainability of Australia poaching doctors from poor countries to fill vacancies in our depleted medical workforce.
The “great brain drain” it’s known as around the world. The United Kingdom, United States and other affluent nations also recruit third world doctors.
In Australia, more than 10 percent of the medical workforce is made up of foreign-trained doctors, most of them from Asia. Read more
Mosley case truly bizarre
The defamation trial in London involving Formula One boss Max Mosley is truly bizarre.
Mosley, the son of British fascist Sir Oswald Mosley, is suing News Of the World for describing his sado-masochistic sex orgy as having Nazi overtones.
He admits the fetish and the orgy, but denies the Nazi link.
I guess Mosley is sensitive about his family history, but his reputation is surely damaged regardless of his innocence or otherwise on the Nazi allegation.
I mean, he potentially clears his name of getting excited about fascist uniforms but he’s known as someone who likes sado-masochistic group romps.
Only in Britain.
No answer to cow gas
The Australian Government is currently considering its response to a report into the impact of climate change which recommends emissions trading.
It’s a very complex discussion, but as I understand it companies and organisations that produce “bad gas” will be taxed while the production of “good gas” will be rewarded.
We managed to localise the debate for tomorrow’s Border Watch by obtaining comments from a local manufacturer, farmers, councils and timber workers. Read more
Editorial opinions
I’ve set up a web site for my editorial opinions at http://theborderwatch.blogspot.com/.
I’m not a big fan of writing editorials. I stopped them at Myrtleford and Kalgoorlie, except when I had something that had to be said. The Border Watch has a policy though to run them, and I accept that responsibility.
Opinion pieces for daily papers can be tricky, especially somewhere like Mount Gambier where we don’t cover much national news and don’t have access to AAP.
There are only so many local issues to opine about. Read more
Netherlands goes to pot
One of the more bizarre news stories I’ve read in a long while surfaced today when it came out that tobacco smoking has been banned in Dutch cafes and restaurants, but marijuana is still okay.
I’m half Dutch, but the country today is nothing like the one my mother and grandparents left in the 1950s.
I’m not qualified to explain why. I’ve been there and found a bigger cultural gap between the countryside and cities than what exists in other countries.
The politics of allowing cannabis to be legal while making public tobacco smoking illegal just escapes me.
Children have a right to care
Sometimes it seems the older I get the more passionate I become about certain issues. That contradicts my general tendency to take things as they come. Not much surprises me any more.
However, at the age of 41 I’m passionate about child protection. It bothers me that society turns a blind eye to child abuse.
Abuse is not just sexual, which is evil. Abuse is also emotional, physical, material, financial. It’s about love, care, attention and opportunity. Read more
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