Thursday - Sunday, August 11 - 14 2011 (diary)

Friday Cadel Evans flew briefly into Melbourne while on his way to a cycling race in California. He rode in his yellow jersey on his yellow bike at the head of a procession through the centre of the city, receiving a hero's welcome. No doubt his historic win of the Tour de France (as first Australian) will do much to make the cycling sport in Australia even more popular than it already is.
The 34 years old Cadel is a modest and humble man and a true role model for young and old, in a time that many sport personalities (especially in Australia) fail so dismally in this respect.

This Sunday the Arafura Bridge Club had their annual outing to the Berry Springs Nature Park, approximately 55km inland from Darwin (only 30 km from where I live).
I had never been there before and was most impressed. It is like a wonderful oasis surrounded by (although green) very dry country. It is a popular spot with many Darwinites coming here for a BBQ and a refreshing swim.

I have a special interest coming here. Jean Paget, the heroine of Nevil Shute's novel "A Town like Alice" (I have just finished reading again) was taken here by some of the locals after she arrived in Darwin. So Nevil Shute surely must have visited this spot himself sometime in the 1950s.

Although there were only 15 Club members there we did have a lovely time, playing various card games (except bridge) and even some Skat I am happy to report.
Bill had the traditional "billy can" boiling over a wood fire for tea or coffee while Marie-Jo had prepared a delicious lunch.
I had also brought a bottle of the Arrogant Frog which received rapturous praise from Anne-Marie, a true red wine connoisseur, who previously lived in the Provence very near to this French wine's origin.

Monday - Saturday, August 15 - 20 2011 (diary)

The Economist weekly news magazine is renown for its incisive cartoon illustrations. This is a work by the Belgian surrealist painter Magritte, which, this last year more than ever, shows the great divide between the affluent Dutch speaking Walloons and the poor French speaking Flemings.

On a larger scale the same picture applies to Europe as a whole, where the wealthy Germanic North is getting increasingly fed up with the poor Southern Latins.
What has happened to these peoples who once created the hugely intelligent Greek Civilisation followed by the mighty Roman Empire and much later by dominant Spain ? Are these Southerners of today coming from the same stock ? It is hard to believe.

Here in Australia too there is a divisive undercurrent, which separates the large cities and South Eastern coastal fringe from the rest of the country. It are Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland that produce all the wealth, but it are the large cities (filled with people pressing for short sighted "feel good" policies as long as these are not hurting them) that suck up the profits while themselves declining into ever lower productivity.

Especially with the present Labour Government in charge, which is hurting small businesses and large companies alike with more taxes, knee jerk reactions and stifling regulations (having brought industrial regulations back to where they were over 20 years ago) and with one disaster project after the other, the South East is virtually in recession.

Nearly three quarters of the population wishes this totally inept Government, (headed by a left wing Prime Minister who is controlled by the Greens and two pea brain independents) to cease, but legally they still have two years to run.   To our North vibrant economies abound, all forging ahead, while Australia's economy is not even standing still, but is going backwards.

Alan Kohler, Australia's most respected economist commentator on ABC TV, showed a telling graph on a daily News program this week.
Australia has historically always lagged behind the USA in terms of productivity, but during the Howard years its productivity index (productivity per workforce member) rose steadily reaching a peak of 92% (of US productivity) eight years ago.
Since then (under two Labour Governments) it has rapidly declined and is at a dismal 60% right now (measured against a USA with its present stagnating economy which is virtually going nowhere.)
Little more has to be said I think !