Empathy and communication

Could be better (much actually)

It would seem that the current crew in Canberra might have a bit to learn yet. 

Everything was thrown into confusion yesterday when Clive Palmer backed out his deal with the Coalition on the abolition of the Carbon Tax , claiming perfidy and dark deeds by the Government. He then went on holiday to New Zealand .

It would not be surprising if the Abbott government had in fact done a bit of "fine tuning"to the deal on the table but they claim vehemently they haven't contributed in any way to the ensuing ruckus,

The current Prime Minister and his followers appear to be suffering from a lack of trust as well as an

inability to communicate with the populace at large as to what they are up to. It's little wonder. They have kept mum on the refugee question and denied  until they are blue in the face that anything is going on. It took the Sri Lankan navy to inform us that they had " accepted" some 40 refugees ( who will be tried for breaking immigration procedures ) and for news to eventually filter out that there are some 100 or more other refugees of Tamil origin who are drifting aimlessly in the ocean somewhere.

Finally there is the budget which is a popular as an al fresco cafe in a hurricane. Selling the budget has turned  into a titanic silent struggle. Paul Keating would have been out on the hustings convincing all and sundry that what was proposed was necessary and vital for  country. Instead , since the budget, there have been rare glimpses of Joe ; it's almost as if he's in a huff. 

Another factor to consider is the government's seeming lack of empathy. They're just not "clicking" with the electorate. This and the lack of communication is contributing heavily to their poor performance in the polls. No doubt, the Liberals would claim they couldn't care less about the polls but it is a measure that shows the performance of the government.

A little secrecy goes a long way ..( about six thousand kilometers actually)

According to the Telegraph U,K, Sherlock Holmes has been sent to North Korea to encourage change.

The British Foreign Office spent about Aus$500 to buy the rights to a Sherlock Holmes episode produced by the BBC for screening at the  Pyongyang International Film Festival in 2012. 

Sherlock could visit here to encourage change to the "return to sender" shipments of refugees. The hermit kingdom is not the only one suffering from a secrecy overload.

News Docos

Channel 7

Well, what do you know? It's not so long ago that the Murdoch's were in deep pooh through their phone hacking saga and we were happy that in Australia we hadn't plumbed the same depths as the U,K,

Obtained illegally , according to Pristorius' defence and broadcast while the trial is still underway in South Africa, the news doco presented by Channel 7 was a bit  "ïffy".
The facts are confusing enough  without further speculation being aired cto all and sundry.It's really a strange and weird case.

Of course , Seven feels totally justified in broadcasting the reenactment of the incident . What else?

Altzheimers

A cure?

The Telegraph in the UK reports  that a  blood test to predict if someone will develop Alzheimer’s within a year has been unveiled by scientists in a breakthrough which could see the disease become preventable.
After a decade of research, experts at Oxford University and Kings College London are confident they have found the 10 proteins which show the disease is imminent.
It means that clinical trials can now start on people who have not yet developed Alzheimer’s to find out which drugs halt its onset.
Alzheimer's is a heart-rending disease altering personalities and causing the patients to live in a world of their own eventually leading to death as various functions break down,
There are many people who have suffered from loved ones and relatives being struck down with the disease. 
It would be good news for quite a few of us . Who knows what the future holds ?

Pragmatism..' suppose

It is what it is.....

The ABC reported that  while in Myanmar the Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop,  declared she will urge the Myanmar government to be inclusive and respect human rights as the nation moves towards democracy. This is a little at odds , ironic almost , bearing in mind the current proposal to send refugees to Cambodia and the recent reported return of a boatload of Tamils by Australian authorities to Sri Lanka. 

It would seem that asylum or economic refugees are not blessed with the right to be human. It's a big problem the world over .Oppressed, disadvantaged people will always look for a way out of their predicament. In our society it is admired and called ambition. 

Cambodia has one of the worst human rights records in the world while Sri Lanka has much to answer for following the civil strife that engulfed that beautiful island for decades. It's a question of " don't do what I do but do what I say" .