Look at a picture of a crowd scene from sixty years ago and one factor stands out - all the men wore hats.
Look at a similar crowd scene today - and most of the men are bare headed - and those that have head covering are wearing a baseball cap.
Fashion comes and fashion goes but two factors are converging that are going to send a lot of people to an early grave.
The earth is getting hotter. That is no longer a theory and there is every reason to suppose that the trend will accelerate nomatter what we do in the short term to reduce carbon emissions.
Our lifestyle and fashions have changed from the dreary mid twentieth century and we tend to expose more flesh these days. The height of women's hemlines raises and lowers from year to year, but bare arms and bare legs are normal street wear - and on the beach we wear the absolute minimum.
Australia is the country most prone to Melanoma - the most deadly skin cancer of that diabolical causer of death which comes in so many forms - and yet it is also the most preventable.
We can do little to definitely ward of cancers that occur within the body, but by taking a few simple precautions Melanoma is avoidable.
The problem is - few of us bother !
The answer seems simple. If we can somehow create a sense of fashion that makes hats an accessory that becomes part of our lifestyle - and if the fashion guru's dictate long sleeves and trousers for day wear - then the cancer surgeons will have a lot less work to do.
And while we are at it. Maybe the fashion people could wave their magic wand and make sun glasses de rigeur.
Too much exposure to the sun is also a major cause of blindness.
It's a nice theory. The only problem is that nobody has yet learned just what makes the fickle fancy of fashion suddenly bloom and make following it a necessity !
Sunday, 30 September 2007
Saturday, 29 September 2007
The leader's choice.
Kevin Rudd must be commended for laying down the law and demanding the right to choose his ministry if he is elected later this year.
One of the weaknesses of the Labor party has been the protocol which leaves the selection of the front bench to horse trading between the factions. Those put forward are a result of deals and number crunching as the factions thrash out their power status to divide the spoils of victory.
The unfortunate Labor prime minister is reduced to cobbling together a working cabinet from a selection that ranges from the brilliant to the moronic.
It is a debility not imposed on conservative prime ministers, who have the right to pick and choose from the entire parliamentary party - and can therefore elevate or dismiss ministers according to their performance in the job.
The one weakness of the Westminster system is the protocol that dictates that all serving ministers have to be elected members of parliament.
Getting enough votes to win a seat in the house does not necessarily mean a member has the ability to understand and run a difficult and devious portfolio. There are times when not a single member from either side of the house has the capacity to understand an issue - that would be better served by an unelected member of the public with the correct qualifications. Unfortunately, " the system " makes such an appointment impossible.
Under a presidential system the holder of that office may bring into cabinet outsiders who have skills well above those elected to a seat in the house. During the last world war FDR saw a need to build cargo ships to secure the Atlantic lifeline from the depredations of U-Boats. At that time, building a new ship took nearly twelve months. FDR appointed Henry Kaiser - who adopted the methods of Henry Ford in the car industry - and resulted in Liberty ships rolling off the production line in as little time as a week.
Whatever the outcome of the coming election, Kevin Rudd has stamped his authority on the job of leader as far as the Labor party is concerned. There will be opposition from within the ranks of the factions - and the states will be concerned that the new regime may diminish state representation - but the essence of forming a cabinet is to get the right people into the right jobs. In that respect, change has been long overdue !
One of the weaknesses of the Labor party has been the protocol which leaves the selection of the front bench to horse trading between the factions. Those put forward are a result of deals and number crunching as the factions thrash out their power status to divide the spoils of victory.
The unfortunate Labor prime minister is reduced to cobbling together a working cabinet from a selection that ranges from the brilliant to the moronic.
It is a debility not imposed on conservative prime ministers, who have the right to pick and choose from the entire parliamentary party - and can therefore elevate or dismiss ministers according to their performance in the job.
The one weakness of the Westminster system is the protocol that dictates that all serving ministers have to be elected members of parliament.
Getting enough votes to win a seat in the house does not necessarily mean a member has the ability to understand and run a difficult and devious portfolio. There are times when not a single member from either side of the house has the capacity to understand an issue - that would be better served by an unelected member of the public with the correct qualifications. Unfortunately, " the system " makes such an appointment impossible.
Under a presidential system the holder of that office may bring into cabinet outsiders who have skills well above those elected to a seat in the house. During the last world war FDR saw a need to build cargo ships to secure the Atlantic lifeline from the depredations of U-Boats. At that time, building a new ship took nearly twelve months. FDR appointed Henry Kaiser - who adopted the methods of Henry Ford in the car industry - and resulted in Liberty ships rolling off the production line in as little time as a week.
Whatever the outcome of the coming election, Kevin Rudd has stamped his authority on the job of leader as far as the Labor party is concerned. There will be opposition from within the ranks of the factions - and the states will be concerned that the new regime may diminish state representation - but the essence of forming a cabinet is to get the right people into the right jobs. In that respect, change has been long overdue !
Friday, 28 September 2007
Political hypocrisy.
With an election just weeks away a prime example of political hypocrisy has been resolved.
The Federal government initially granted a license for the first Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) machine to come to the Illawarra to a group of private medical practitioners.
The Wollongong hospital and Illawarra specialists argued that a public MRI machine was an essential need, but provision was denied by the Federal government as part of the ongoing battle between different political persuasions.
The state government bought and installed an MRI machine at Wollongong hospital, but were denied a Medicaire license - and this has been the situation for three long years.
As a result, the only people able to us the hospital MRI machine have been inpatients. The general public, out-patients and people referred by specialists have had to use the MRI machine owned by private doctors - and pay a fee of around $ 200 for each session.
With an election brewing the Federal government has finally dropped a crumb from it's table - and granted a Medicaire license for the hospital MRI machine. As a result, it will be available to the public on a bulk billing basis.
Commonsense should have prevailed and this license should have been granted three years ago, preventing untold misery and avoidable expense for the citizens of the Illawarra. The reason it wasn't is the ongoing battle for supremacy - and point scoring - between politicians of differing persuasions in two tiers of government.
What we have seen here is a classic example of what is wrong with politics. The original idea of a parliament goes back centuries to when each tribe gathered for a pow-wow around the campfire - and elected their wisest to be their representative at a gathering of all the tribes.
The requirement was that such a person would consider the issues evenly - and make decisions for the betterment of all of the tribes.
What a long way from that principle have we strayed !
The Federal government initially granted a license for the first Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) machine to come to the Illawarra to a group of private medical practitioners.
The Wollongong hospital and Illawarra specialists argued that a public MRI machine was an essential need, but provision was denied by the Federal government as part of the ongoing battle between different political persuasions.
The state government bought and installed an MRI machine at Wollongong hospital, but were denied a Medicaire license - and this has been the situation for three long years.
As a result, the only people able to us the hospital MRI machine have been inpatients. The general public, out-patients and people referred by specialists have had to use the MRI machine owned by private doctors - and pay a fee of around $ 200 for each session.
With an election brewing the Federal government has finally dropped a crumb from it's table - and granted a Medicaire license for the hospital MRI machine. As a result, it will be available to the public on a bulk billing basis.
Commonsense should have prevailed and this license should have been granted three years ago, preventing untold misery and avoidable expense for the citizens of the Illawarra. The reason it wasn't is the ongoing battle for supremacy - and point scoring - between politicians of differing persuasions in two tiers of government.
What we have seen here is a classic example of what is wrong with politics. The original idea of a parliament goes back centuries to when each tribe gathered for a pow-wow around the campfire - and elected their wisest to be their representative at a gathering of all the tribes.
The requirement was that such a person would consider the issues evenly - and make decisions for the betterment of all of the tribes.
What a long way from that principle have we strayed !
Thursday, 27 September 2007
The financial black hole !
Wollongong is a city in terminal decay. The old town hall has lost it's audience license because fire safety has deteriorated to an unsafe level. Rock pools are being fenced off because there are no funds to repair them - and the city road network is a mass of pot holes approaching danger level.
A report has delivered a " responsible scenario " for rectification, but it is one which will require the citizens to bite the bullet and accept a sharp increase in fiscal responsibility.
Rates will need to increase by 2.3% each year above the inflation level, fees and charges increase by 4.1% - and services will decrease by 1.6%, but precisely which services have not been mentioned. At the same time, the city will need to undertake a borrowing that will saddle ratepayers with a debt of $ 156.3 million.
If this is implemented, work spending will increase from the present $ 27 million a year to a whopping $ 224.5 million - and recovery will become a reality.
There is just one fly in the ointment - and it's called " The Gateway Centre ".
This tourist development at Bulli Tops started as a modest initiative mix of council and private funding. Before the first sod was turned political activists crawled out of the woodwork and the plans escalated - and so did the cost. It is now slated to cost $ 7.7 million - and unofficial estimates put the cost at completion nearer $ 10 million.
The problem is that control of council spending is in the hands of elected councillors - and these people are political animals. If the " Responsible Scenario " is implemented there is every chance that a fair proportion of the money raised will not go to repairing eroded infrastructure - but will be diverted to new " pie in the sky " initiatives of a vote catching nature.
Maybe now would be a good time to stand down elected councillors for a period of time - ten years would be a good target - and put control of the city and it's finances solely in the hands of our new CEO.
We need to steer a dedicated course and direct spending to refurbishing the ageing and derelict city structure without crazy excursions into new projects with a political theme. That will not be achieved unless we remove the obstacle that has resulted in the present financial mess. It seems impossible to have elected councillors without politics intruding into council affairs - with the disastrous results that are now apparent.
Let sanity prevail - and the CEO get on with the job !
A report has delivered a " responsible scenario " for rectification, but it is one which will require the citizens to bite the bullet and accept a sharp increase in fiscal responsibility.
Rates will need to increase by 2.3% each year above the inflation level, fees and charges increase by 4.1% - and services will decrease by 1.6%, but precisely which services have not been mentioned. At the same time, the city will need to undertake a borrowing that will saddle ratepayers with a debt of $ 156.3 million.
If this is implemented, work spending will increase from the present $ 27 million a year to a whopping $ 224.5 million - and recovery will become a reality.
There is just one fly in the ointment - and it's called " The Gateway Centre ".
This tourist development at Bulli Tops started as a modest initiative mix of council and private funding. Before the first sod was turned political activists crawled out of the woodwork and the plans escalated - and so did the cost. It is now slated to cost $ 7.7 million - and unofficial estimates put the cost at completion nearer $ 10 million.
The problem is that control of council spending is in the hands of elected councillors - and these people are political animals. If the " Responsible Scenario " is implemented there is every chance that a fair proportion of the money raised will not go to repairing eroded infrastructure - but will be diverted to new " pie in the sky " initiatives of a vote catching nature.
Maybe now would be a good time to stand down elected councillors for a period of time - ten years would be a good target - and put control of the city and it's finances solely in the hands of our new CEO.
We need to steer a dedicated course and direct spending to refurbishing the ageing and derelict city structure without crazy excursions into new projects with a political theme. That will not be achieved unless we remove the obstacle that has resulted in the present financial mess. It seems impossible to have elected councillors without politics intruding into council affairs - with the disastrous results that are now apparent.
Let sanity prevail - and the CEO get on with the job !
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
New housing estate enigma !
The planned new housing estate at West Dapto will be huge. It will further enhance the population of the Illawarra - and will constitute a city in it's own right eventually.
The big problem being tossed around between the state government, Wollongong council and the developers concerns the development levies that will be charged against each building block - and that creates a conflict of interests.
The council wants the levies to be capable of paying for the services the new estate will require. If they are pitched too low then the council will inevitably have to makeup the shortfall.
The government wants to create housing land that is affordable to first home buyers.
The developers need land prices that will create an affordable mix of land and building to attract buyers and sell their product.
What is needed is an objective look at the needs of a newly developed housing estate.
It will be impossible to duplicate the amenities already existing in well established suburbs in the early years. Past experience with other such developments is a good guide. The law of supply and demand applies. If the demand is there for a product - and that includes shopping facilities, bus transport and entertainment - private enterprise will respond if it can be provided at a profit.
That usually means that what is provided falls far short of of what the customers would desire.
For instance, private bus companies will run buses on routes that are profitable, but forget about services late at night or at times when just one or two patrons are passengers.
The same applies when it comes to shopping facilities. If there is demand, service will be forthcoming.
The levies that apply to West Dapto need to be angled at providing affordable homes for the average person. A fair impost on each block will be needed to make sure government services such as schools, fire services and medical facilities are promptly installed - but beyond that there is no point in creating utopia if it is out of reach of the consumer.
Hopefully, a practical compromise will err on the side of reality !
The big problem being tossed around between the state government, Wollongong council and the developers concerns the development levies that will be charged against each building block - and that creates a conflict of interests.
The council wants the levies to be capable of paying for the services the new estate will require. If they are pitched too low then the council will inevitably have to makeup the shortfall.
The government wants to create housing land that is affordable to first home buyers.
The developers need land prices that will create an affordable mix of land and building to attract buyers and sell their product.
What is needed is an objective look at the needs of a newly developed housing estate.
It will be impossible to duplicate the amenities already existing in well established suburbs in the early years. Past experience with other such developments is a good guide. The law of supply and demand applies. If the demand is there for a product - and that includes shopping facilities, bus transport and entertainment - private enterprise will respond if it can be provided at a profit.
That usually means that what is provided falls far short of of what the customers would desire.
For instance, private bus companies will run buses on routes that are profitable, but forget about services late at night or at times when just one or two patrons are passengers.
The same applies when it comes to shopping facilities. If there is demand, service will be forthcoming.
The levies that apply to West Dapto need to be angled at providing affordable homes for the average person. A fair impost on each block will be needed to make sure government services such as schools, fire services and medical facilities are promptly installed - but beyond that there is no point in creating utopia if it is out of reach of the consumer.
Hopefully, a practical compromise will err on the side of reality !
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
The Kokoda Trail.
In 1942 Imperial Japanese forces invaded Papua New Guinea and began an advance over the Owen Stanley ranges to capture the capital, Port Moresby.
This rugged mountain range was deep jungle with fast flowing streams and steep ravines - almost impassable - but with a route used by it's native people known as the Kokoda Trail.
A Japanese victory there would have put Australia in peril. Australian troops were ordered to halt the Japanese advance - and so ensured a legend. For the first time in the second world war the all-conquering Imperial army suffered a defeat. The " Diggers " fought in atrocious conditions against one of the best equipped forces in the world - and won !
Many things have changed since then. For some inscrutable reason the term " Kokoda Trail " has been abandoned in favour of the more politically correct " Kokoda Track "- although signage at the commencement of the trail still refers to it as the " trail ".
New interest in Australia's war history has seen groups rediscover and walk the trail - and one New South Wales government school had this in mind following efforts that raised the necessary funds and secured the insurance and guides to make the journey possible.
Initially it had the support of the education department, but now - just a few weeks before the start - the state government has implemented a ban. Private schools can - and do - visit the Kokoda Trail. The government has decided it " is too risky " to allow government school kids to do the same.
Just what law does the government think applies that allows it to tell a bunch of kids - who have parent permission and support - and have worked their tails off to raise the necessary funds - and have all the support structure in place to see them through an epic adventure - that the government will tell them what they can and what they can not do with their time during the school holidays ?
Sure ! Climbing jungle clad mountains has an element of danger. But so does swimming in the ocean ! So does trail bike riding ! So does skate boarding !
Hopefully these kids and their parents will give this interfering nanny state the one finger salute - and go and see where an epic event of Australian history took place !
This rugged mountain range was deep jungle with fast flowing streams and steep ravines - almost impassable - but with a route used by it's native people known as the Kokoda Trail.
A Japanese victory there would have put Australia in peril. Australian troops were ordered to halt the Japanese advance - and so ensured a legend. For the first time in the second world war the all-conquering Imperial army suffered a defeat. The " Diggers " fought in atrocious conditions against one of the best equipped forces in the world - and won !
Many things have changed since then. For some inscrutable reason the term " Kokoda Trail " has been abandoned in favour of the more politically correct " Kokoda Track "- although signage at the commencement of the trail still refers to it as the " trail ".
New interest in Australia's war history has seen groups rediscover and walk the trail - and one New South Wales government school had this in mind following efforts that raised the necessary funds and secured the insurance and guides to make the journey possible.
Initially it had the support of the education department, but now - just a few weeks before the start - the state government has implemented a ban. Private schools can - and do - visit the Kokoda Trail. The government has decided it " is too risky " to allow government school kids to do the same.
Just what law does the government think applies that allows it to tell a bunch of kids - who have parent permission and support - and have worked their tails off to raise the necessary funds - and have all the support structure in place to see them through an epic adventure - that the government will tell them what they can and what they can not do with their time during the school holidays ?
Sure ! Climbing jungle clad mountains has an element of danger. But so does swimming in the ocean ! So does trail bike riding ! So does skate boarding !
Hopefully these kids and their parents will give this interfering nanny state the one finger salute - and go and see where an epic event of Australian history took place !
Monday, 24 September 2007
Reverse mortgages.
Financial institutions report a surge in people taking advantage of a type of finance called " Reverse mortgages ". Typically, these are the elderly who have paid off their homes and are now retired - but finding that the pension leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to a comfortable lifestyle.
The offer of a reverse mortgage is seductive - but also highly dangerous. It allows the owner to borrow money against the asset of the property they own to finance a more comfortable retirement lifestyle.
There are no repayments. The borrowed money - plus interest - is eventually recovered when the owner either sells the property or dies.
The problem is that taking up a reverse mortgage is a step into the unknown. All the calculations are done on the basis of conditions existing now - and who can foretell the future ?
At the moment interest rates are relatively low, but there are storm clouds over the home finance industry both here and overseas and nobody can accurately predict what level is possible even in the short term. Remember when rates hit seventeen percent over a decade ago ?
If interest rates rise - and at the same time house prices decline - the ratio of debt to asset can change dramatically - and quickly.
What started out as a small loan can gather steam and become a monster - and the retiree can find it consuming an ever greater degree of equity - until what was a comfortable nest egg has become a liability.
In some instances there is a place for reverse mortgages, but they should not be entered into lightly - and retirees should think long and hard - and do some quality research before signing on the dotted line !
The offer of a reverse mortgage is seductive - but also highly dangerous. It allows the owner to borrow money against the asset of the property they own to finance a more comfortable retirement lifestyle.
There are no repayments. The borrowed money - plus interest - is eventually recovered when the owner either sells the property or dies.
The problem is that taking up a reverse mortgage is a step into the unknown. All the calculations are done on the basis of conditions existing now - and who can foretell the future ?
At the moment interest rates are relatively low, but there are storm clouds over the home finance industry both here and overseas and nobody can accurately predict what level is possible even in the short term. Remember when rates hit seventeen percent over a decade ago ?
If interest rates rise - and at the same time house prices decline - the ratio of debt to asset can change dramatically - and quickly.
What started out as a small loan can gather steam and become a monster - and the retiree can find it consuming an ever greater degree of equity - until what was a comfortable nest egg has become a liability.
In some instances there is a place for reverse mortgages, but they should not be entered into lightly - and retirees should think long and hard - and do some quality research before signing on the dotted line !
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)