Home
The Lost Dutch Colony of Australia
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Ideas & Questions
- Hits: 962
I remember being very curious about this upon hearing of it from the "Bush Tucker Man" programs of Australia. He was both informed and persuasive. And so, my imagination was reignited by the Futility Closet Podcast "The Wild White Man" I thought I'd revisit the notion, and see if anything had been resolved. It seems - to an extent - that it has, bu the controversy is ongoing. I'll let you do your own research and make up your own mind.
Links:
- The Original Article that Raised the Question
- Prospect of Dutch Settlement Pre Fleet Raised
- The Bush-Tucker Man's Theory
- Modern DNA Testing Results
So, some questions answered, some remain, but curiosity feeds the mind...
A Living Wage
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Link of the day
- Hits: 875
A well written and well informed article on the effects of a living minimum wage, as applied in Australia.
In the hospitality industry - front of house wages are largely subsidized by tips, and I for one prefer that model to others - it gives the customer a leeway and ability to contribute to the situation and keeps servers/bartenders actively interested in the quality of service. But for back of house positions, fast food, retail, this makes a lot of sense. And I remember so many customers at the old restaurant would argue against it.
I especially like the quote:
The principle that employees must be paid a "living wage" dates back to a 1907 decision of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration, which stated that if an employer was unable to pay a living wage, it was not entitled to operate a business. A living wage was defined in the decision as being sufficient to permit an unskilled worker, a dependent spouse and three dependent children to live in "frugal comfort."
It makes sense. But in Alberta, wow, what a moral panic...
Charlie Kaufman
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Film
- Hits: 877
Having rewatched "Being John Malklovich" - and, again, amazed, laughing, both outrageous and fresh - still, 20 years later. Excellent. And followed it with "Adaptation" - which I remembered only slightly, I still didn't enjoy it, appreciation would be more the word, yet a brighter film than most by a long-shot. The scenes where Charlie Kaufman is trying to write but the internal monologue keeps intruding, the screenwriters seminar, absolutely hilarious...and you can see how this attention to detail, the visual games, are leading him towards "Synecdoche, New York".
Ray Bradbury
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Books
- Hits: 839
I found a couple of his in the thrift shop - "The Illustrated Man" and "The October Country", and as I hadn't read him since I was about 13 years old I picked them up and tried him again.
As a kid I loved him. And as an adult? I remembered the ends of the stories as I read them. The stories - the endings, especially, formulaic, occasionally predictable, twist endings, ironic, surprising (not often) - the plotting, the themes, that's not the main thing with him. 13 was the right age to fall under his spell for sure. But what's impressive is his use of adjectives, his evocations of mood, his descriptions, his intonation of charms, whispered, spoken, sung, the rhythm of his words, poetry almost, yet managing no meaning above the fantasies, images and moods he creates...
Surprisingly well written kids books I'd say, filled with imagination. But for adults, well...tastes change.
Page 428 of 1021