Whither Australia

An interesting article in the Herald about Australia, its psyche and its position in the world. Definitely worth a read!



A country that has stopped thinking

Prosperity has brought security but also a lack of vision and an absence of courage, write Steve Burrell and staff reporters.

Relaxed and comfortable. Or just timid and slow on the uptake? Anaesthetised by the Lucky Country prosperity of a once-in-50-year global resources boom, with leaders who have become frightened to lead, obsessed with cost but often blind to opportunity, Australia is being left behind on things that matter for the future.

Whether it's improving broadband speed and access or grasping the huge business opportunities thrown up by the climate-change challenge, we go around in circles - or backwards - as the best of the world moves ahead. The same can be said for capitalising on our innovation, scientific research and development, building world-class infrastructure and improving education, medical services, transport and urban design.

We have good ideas, world-class ideas, but too often our best and brightest have to go somewhere else to pursue them. The problem goes deep, with many of its roots in the way we are governed and, perhaps, in the nature of our national character. ... more

Children see, children do

I have been seeing this advertisement on TV from Australia's National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) recently and I think it's really good. Just thought you might like it too:



NAPCAN says: "NAPCAN's powerful multi-media community service campaign challenges adults to make a positive influence on the lives of children and young people."

Randy Thai sniffer dogs get the sack

Two Thai street mutts who became ace sniffer dogs at an airport near the notorious Golden Triangle opium-producing region have been fired for urinating on luggage and sexually harassing female passengers.

The pair, Mok and Lai, had been plucked from obscurity under a program initiated by King Bhumibol Adulyadej to turn strays into police dogs, the Bangkok Post said today.

Although they won plaudits from police for their work in sniffing out drugs at northern Thailand's Chiang Rai airport, near the border with Laos and Burma, so many passengers complained about their behaviour they had to be fired.

"He liked to pee on luggage while searching for drugs inside," Mok's former handler, Police Lieutenant Colonel Jakapop Kamhon, said. "He also liked to hold on to women's legs."

"Both were just as good as foreign dogs trained for use in drug missions," he added. "But they were stray dogs, so their manners were worse than those of foreign breeds."

Mok and Lai now work on a farm, herding chickens and pigs, the paper said.

Reuters