Captain's Pick

Trying out the new whip

Some other Australian news

Good news

After the dismal shenanigans of politics and in particular the Abbott government, it's nice to be able to report some positives on the Australian scene.

After their Asian Cup win over Korea, the Australian soccer team have shot up 37 places to No 63 in the FIFA world rankings. After years of languishing on the fringe of sporting interests, it seems that soccer or football, depending on where you live, has come of age. 

The Special Broadcasting Corporation , or SBS, has been promoting soccer for oinks and it seems ironic that the win over Korea was broadcast by the ABC whose interest to now has been perfunctory. But as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. 

Remaining on SBS programs, Australia has been invited to participate in the Eurovision song contest. Now beat that !

Let's hope Angela Merkel doesn't start to worry too much by these startling developments .

Needs must

"If sir doesn't like it, we have something else on the menu"

The latest mantra,  which the party faithful trot out at every interview possible , concentrates on the "mess inherited" from the previous Labor government.
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With regard to the government's  attempts to implement draconian budget proposals, Mr Abbott insists they "hear what people are saying". To demonstrate his good faith, the PM argues that should any new, or old,  proposed budget measures not work, he will endeavour to serve up different options.Sounds like a deal? Probably more a question of mutton dressed up as lamb.

Inexplicology

Oppa!

A 'ferocious energy'

The current situation with Greece and the Eurozone members is intricate in many ways. Economically, Greece has a  credit history riddled with defaults.

.According to Matthew Lynn, a freelance columnist who has contributed to the Spectator, the Hellenic Mediterranean paradise, since its formation  in 1821 has defaulted four times .
In the post-war years Greece barely managed to catch up with the industrialised Europe. Cut off by the Carpathian mountains it was far removed from the mainstream of European culture and science. After the Nazi occupation, it endured a civil was followed buy the rule of the Colonels who, true Luddites to the core, resisted change and modernity.
Ash Omar, a journalist of Greek background, living in San Francisco wrote an analysis of the Greek character.In it she states that Greeks have a ferocious energy and being night owls ( the owl is the symbol of Athens) will bargain until the sun goes down or up.
Gregory of Nyssa, venerated as a saint ,  wrote of Athenians in the 4th century, "if you ask someone to give you change, they philosophise,if you enquire about the price of a loaf, they theologise,if you ask 'ís my bath ready?' they dispute doctrine with you. 
Given the sometimes pedantic nature of institutions , it is clear that the confrontation between new Europe and old Greece will be hard to resolve in a convenient way . But then again, they don't call Economics the 'miserable science' for nothing.
For an in-depth look see the links below:

http://www.historytoday.com/matthew-lynn/greek-economics-drachmas-debt-and-dionysius

http://thisismyhappyplace.net/2011/10/04/the-greek-personality-an-urban-study-of-a-people/

And some people have leadership....

................thrust upon them

It's over.The leadership spill has been and went and by two thirds roughly, the PM survived despite the gloomy predictions of some. Whether he will be the Phoenix rising from the ashes remains to be seen.
Reports of his pending demise have , in retrospect, been greatly exaggerated.  However, there it is. Such excitement.