david mc williams

David McWilliams is an Irish based economist who did his undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Dublin and made a name for himself through his writing and media projects. Best known for his book, The Popes Children, which is an anti-prophetic title for the post-financial crisis world? He is the presenter of the recently aired Addicted to Money on the ABC in Australia. Money addiction highlights the reasons, consequences and future threats of the Global Financial Crisis and how our lifestyles, will or should, change. Like McWilliams I believe the United Nations is ill equipped as a unifying institution of international politics because it has presided over decades of war and tradegy. Addicted to Money is worth watching because of the questions it raises about our future and the irony of repeated history. Viewing will result in some heart-breaking moments.

more half blood prince

You may remember my posting about going to the cinema to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and I was presently surprised by the recent DVD version of the same, which made the viewing experience a lot more pleasant and intimate than the hyped expectation and anticipation of cinema attendance. Don't believe the hype?

virtual hotel

Virtual Hotel is an online testing and training program developed by the South Australian Government to teach Occupational Health and Safety in the Workplace. Some of the concepts are useful for the home too, with other workplace tests for the Office, Factory and Workshop. The game format, which takes about 30 minutes, is a little simple in its graphics and some of the questions appear strange at first. But perseverance is quite rewarding with an online certificate as a printable evidence of completion. Check it out at the links in the text if you dare (smiles)!

nice donkey

Do you think this is a cute donkey? We have come a long way in literature and story telling since as children we first met Eeyore, in A. A. Milne's, Winnie the Pooh, novels (although some readers may roll their eyes at the literary symbolism and metaphor). Commentators argue that Milne was so constrained by Edwardian values that he was unable to communicate with his children and wrote the Winnie the Pooh novels so he could share his feelings with his family. Sounds sad.

I am not romanticaly interested in animals but I believe most are lovable and cute. Of course the zoologicaly pedantic will categorise the above equine photo as a mule or ass but I think these are unkind labels. The above picture also features the lovely Damaris Lewis in Capadoceia, Turkey, as part of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Catalogue for which I am truly grateful (smiles). Do you like donkeys?

remarkable creatures

Tracy Chevalier who you will remember as the author of the Girl with a Pearl Earring has an excellent new novel titled Remarkable Creatures (beautiful homepage). An interpretation based on a true story of Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot who were paleontologists in regency England. The work narrates how these women searched for and discovered fossils on the Lyme Regis and adjacent beaches, which inspired  the scientific community to think about pre-cursors to the theory of natural selection. Great to see Anning and Philpot getting the recognition they deserve (cinera glorii sera est). Written from the feminine perspective it is not girly in its dialogue and makes a good criticism of regency society. Not man-bashing either but definately highlights the cruelty of patriarchy and mentions Jane Austen. Nice reference list and published as a sustainable reading novel. Check out the Plesiosaur at Chevalier's homepage gallery.

wuthering heights

There is an excellent new adaption of Bronte's Wuthering Heights, which has just finished screening in Australia. This ITV version has a more interesting hue of vision in set design, art direction and teleplay than the Laurence Olivier production. Black and white does create an atmosphere of tragic gloom but I think the ITV interpretation gave the story and characterisation a lot more depth. Its message too is a good reminder of the cruelty of social rules and pressure. How terrible to live in a community with a class system and racial prejudice. My grandmother was a servant before the Second World War in London and I wonder if hotel employees are a modern remnant of the servant classes?

good movie

I was sad to hear that Land of the Lost did not do so well at the box office. I think it was a fun movie and a great parody of academia. There are a few researchers at the ANU who would try to score funding in quantum palaeontology? Will Ferrel plays his part so well but to make it a great movie I think the writers could have deepened the characterisation of the protagonist’s more, rather than rely so much on the metaphorical slap stick elements of the plot development. However in contrast the T-Rex was a wonderful personality and the pace of the screen play was maintained beautifully. The production team did a great job and I hope they continue to bring more adventure/comedy to audiences.