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If any of the ALS Blog readership interested to so do can possibly find a a copy of yesterday’s Fin Review ( 1/May/08 ), have a look at Mark Latham’s column at the back.
I found it astounding and not in a sense that might spring to mind at the first mention of Mr Latham’s name.
Regrettably the AFR seems to resist internet-based efforts to climb over it’s walls.
I strongly recommend you read this depressing bummer of an article from the always great Jack Marx.
http://blogs.news.com.au/jackmarxlive/index.php/news/comments/whats_happening_to_the_country/
It’s a fantastic diatribe against the state. Although I don’t necessarily agree on the NT intervention all his other points are spot on.
First they came for the smokers… now they want to ban drinking in your own home:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23646316-421,00.html
fleeced - i like the way the govt minister adds that ‘this is not a big brother approach’ !! classic Rudd-methodology. paint a wall black and tell everyone it’s white.
‘The community will ask for it’, will they? Who decides for communities? In Aboriginal societies, the elders make the laws. In Shires, the Councils would. No councillor would commit electoral suicide, but an action group could be called a community group, so a bunch of wowsers could ruin your suburb for you!
If we do nothing about this, then we ARE asking for it!
Marx is a libertarian at heart. He’s just a bit cynical about the philosophy becoming dominant.
Has anybody read the book “The Opium of the Intellectuals” ?
Just read a blurb and it wasnt overly descriptive and was wondering if it was worth a read.
Another recommended read and this one is internet accessible unlike the AFR:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23652148-12332,00.html
“ALL students at ( Macquarie University ) will have to undertake volunteer work…under an overhaul of its curriculum designed to provide ….more socially aware graduates”.
Provide the socially aware grads…to who ??
Note to the Vice Chancellor - if community service is compulsory - that is conscription. The only voluntary part is statedly the choice to go overseas rather than stay here for the community service obligation. Or to chose not to go to Macquarie University at all of course !
One suspects that a fairly substantial part of Macquarie’s potential undergraduate pool - or at least their socially conservative parents - might think twice about enrolment once MU implements it’s new organisational philosophies ?
VC Professor Schwartz said:
‘that the new curriculum was based on three themes of place, planet and participation……
“Universities are more than just narrow vocational schools; they have the opportunity to change the world, to shape society and shape democracy”.
“We’re trying to infuse the institution with more than just a utilitarian vocational mission as one that also makes difference to a more democratic and inclusive society.”
Professor Schwartz said the new curriculum developed the university’s commitment to social inclusion and equity’
Sounds a bit like the VC’s tertiary education model might have been formed on the Left Bank of Paris c. 1968 ?
Hopefully the faculty will find a bit of time to impart some knowledge to their young charges somewhere along the way too so that I get a warm glow that my tax dollars are at work in the manner I assumed they would be ?
Have they actually noted class attendence - how will this be any more succesful?
I, for one, love the new idea of kaleidoscopic patterns! And thanks for giving me royal purple- I DO call my system Co-Monarchism, after all! (We should all have the same rights as royalty- No taxes, no conscription, etc.) How positively psychic of you!
I find the patterns annoying.
I also notice they now distinguish between logged in/not logged in… I guess that is probably a good thing.
For any socialist dissimulators re wages policy:
http://perfectsubstitute.blogspot.com/2008/05/did-wages-reflect-growth-in.html
For those with a bit of time over the weekend, Dave Boaz from the Cato institute is on blogtalk radio on libertarian voters.