Crikey, are you our grandmother now?:

Stilgherrian, internet, IT and media consultant, writes: Re. Yesterday’s editorial. “Now don’t you boys spend too much time watching TV!” Good heavens, Crikey, are you our grandmother now, telling us to “get a life” for spending a mere three minutes a day on MySpace? That’s less than the time we spend brushing our teeth. 60s sitcoms derided teenagers for spending so long on the phone. Before that, it was concern that “too much time with your head in a book” would cause, oh, warts or something. Social connections are no less “real” when they’re mediated by the internet rather than telephone or quill pen on parchment. I thought Crikey was too smart to fall for this moral panic stuff.

Peter Gablonski writes: I was just wondering if the introduction to yesterday’s edition was deliberately meant to rile people like me who spend time online? The introduction includes the exhortation, “People: get a life. A real one,” seemingly directed at the people who spend, on average, 1 hour and thirty three minutes on MySpace each month. This is simply an online extension of their REAL social life! I don’t use MySpace. However, I do read books and watch TV for many more than 1 hour and thirty three minutes each month. What about you?

Fergus Ryan writes: Hey Crikey, stick to the media and politics. If I wanted life-coaching tips, I’d look elsewhere.

Sanna Peden writes: I completely agree. It’s such a waste, these young louts getting all their information on ‘teh internets’. By the way, I’m really looking forward to the cutting edge reporting of the broadsheet print-Crikey! I wonder whether that would be home-delivered, too?

Judith Gamper writes: Hear! Hear! Thank you Crikey for the laugh.

Crikey says: Shizzle nizzle cyber hep cats! We didn’t really mean that you’re a bunch a vapid, housebound, pimply ne’er-do-wells. Not a bit of it. We respect you and your dimly lit electronic diversions. In fact … why not be our Facebook friends (we need them): come visit at Crikey Dotcomdotau. Hugs.

The NT intervention:

David Ogilvie writes: Re. “Heffernan owes Mt Theo an apology” (Wednesday, item 5). Too bloody right! I was “one of the locals having a barbecue with Ruddock and Heffernan” you refer to in the article about Heffernan and Mt Theo (actually it was a lamb curry dinner but we won’t split hairs), having run the Yuendumu Art centre from 2000 to 2002 . There were quite a few present that evening: Heffernan, Ruddock, the PM’s secretary, an MP from South Australia (Chris Gallus, I think), and a Heffernan/Ruddock factotum. You’re quite right that neither Heffernan nor Ruddock mentioned any scandal about child abuse at any time after their return from Mt Theo, quite the reverse in fact as they offered to help Warlukurlangu (the art centre) mount an exhibition at Parliament House in Canberra (an event that took place the following year). In fact I can’t remember any mention of child abuse in Yuendumu the whole time I was there, despite hearing reports of alcohol smuggling, petrol sniffing, burglaries, adult r-pes, illegal gambling, and the other stuff that goes on in these communities. If you need an authoritative source for all things Yuendumu, give Frank Baarda a ring at the Yuendumu Mining Company. He’s a good bloke, and has devoted many years of his life to helping the local community. The following story is not relevant to the child abuse claims, but it does illustrate the degree of ignorance about Aboriginal communities in government departments: Shortly before Ruddock was due to visit I had a call at the Art Centre from his office in Canberra, asking me to fax them a copy of the Yellow Pages entry for all the restaurants in Yuendumu. I told them it was my house or nothing, which is why I ended up entertaining the whole group that evening. Can you believe it!

Helen Armstrong writes: Re. “The NT intervention: crunching the numbers” (yesterday, item 4). Chris Graham wrote: “But the problem child abuse experts frequently encounter is the fact that a 12 or 13-year-old girl with an STD, for example, may have contracted it through consensual s-x with a boy of a similar age, who may have contracted it from another girl of similar age.” I realise this is a quote, but nothing in your story disagrees with it. Isn’t this a bit chicken and egg? They got it from an adult somewhere, and by the way I was under the (mis)apprehension that all s-x under the age of 16 is illegal. What makes it ok for Aboriginal kids, Crikey? Are they some kind of second class citizen? I am outraged at this blatant disregard for the rights of children. Tell me Crikey, if there was a p-edophile having consensual s-x with someone under 16 would that be ok, too? Where do you draw the line? You pretend to have the moral ground but show you have no morals at all.

AGL’s abandoned wind farm:

Coastal Guardians Victoria Spokesperson Tim Le Roy writes: Re. “AGL’s abandoned wind farm — the story behind the story” (yesterday, item 6). AGL and their windy henchmen have marched away from their green turbine venture in South Gippsland. They leave behind a rural community that has had its social fabric ripped to the core. The operator of AGL’s ‘wind farm information centre’ is now selling Toyotas in Yarram. Five years ago I addressed over 300 people at the Mirboo North town hall regarding this facility. Only one person supported the facility that night. I explained that the Bracks government had an obsession with wind energy that would not counter scrutiny or opposition. Steve Bracks, and his mates who had invested in wind energy, had ensured that landscape, environment and community concerns are given scant regard in their planning rules. Empirical measurement of greenhouse gas savings are also excluded from the planning process. Is it really about economics? Of supreme irony is that one of the architects of the Dollar wind farm has his property in Sunbury up for auction in two weeks. Guess where there is a community wind farm proposed? No worries, potential Sunbury purchasers, the Dollar residents have plenty of letters from this AGL executive to guarantee that turbines nearby will not affect your property values. The Bracks Government and the wind industry lobby group, Auswind, have published similar guarantees.

Andrew Gillespie writes: Why do you send out cr-p articles like this? Is Lionel Elmore a real person? I’m guessing “no”, as I fail to believe any self respecting journalist would put their name to such inane diatribe. Even a half decent high school student would do a better job. Fair dinkum. Stephen Mayne would publish the most ridiculous uniformed garbage, but there was enough informed journalism to justify subscribing. But I seriously doubt that since Eric Beecher has bought Stephen out, the articles have, overall, improved in quality. As I asked, why send out crap like this? I don’t want to have to wade through rubbish like that. And no, I’m not going to point out the huge holes in the article… because I shouldn’t have to. It is, that obvious.

Here’s the news John Pasquarelli:

Tom McLoughlin writes: Re. “Hanson: dancing with Lazarus” (yesterday, item 13). Here’s the news John Pasquarelli, anyone who supports mutual understanding, common humanity and cultural tolerance may or may not be elitist or an ethnic lobbyist but they are indeed so much better than bigots, dog whistlers and racists. No fear of that. They simply are better. And here’s another one for yer: Have a look around the world – the future of Australia is coffee coloured and its okay. It will help no end with the melanoma rates.

Off the record:

Freelance writer and journalist Stuart Mackenzie writes: Re. “Costello: did he or didn’t he?” (Yesterday, item 9). One aspect of the Peter Costello dinner affair that I find odd is that none of the three experienced reporters took any notes during the conversation. In fact, some reports suggest they didn’t even take notebooks with them, but had to borrow paper from a waitress to write down their post-conversation recollections of what Costello said. If the discussion was “on background” as the journos claim, isn’t it unprofessional not to take any contemporary notes? I would have thought that relying on your alcohol-affected memory, even if you are not going to directly attribute what you have been told, increases the risk of reporting errors. The only sort of dinner I would consider going to without a notebook would be one that I was sure was “off the record”.

Where’s the news?:

Geoff Russell writes: Re. “Newspaper sales: the not so simple truth” (yesterday, item 5). Where was The Advertiser in the circulation figures? I can understand you forgetting Tasmania’s Mercury, but SA was still on the mainland last time I looked.

Nikki Richard Todd writes: Hey, I know you guys are pretty Melbourne/Sydney- centric – but come on – where are the figures for the new look tabloid Courier-Mail?

Fairfax traineeship:

A former Fairfax wannabe writes: Re. “Fairfax stops the recruiting of editorial trainees” (yesterday, item 21). I went through the Fairfax traineeship recruitment process last year. After submitting an application that included writing a freeform piece about myself, as well as the usual resume, details of education and work experience and so on, I was invited to the next step of current affairs quiz and writing test. The current affairs test was very thorough and a fair requirement for an aspiring journalist, but the writing test asked you to write about firstly what “Australian values” meant to you and secondly your funniest experience. I have no idea how they thought this was going to help find people who could write news well (and was a total contrast to the radio news writing tests in the well-designed application process for ABC cadetships).

The markets:

Rene Ploegmakers, Financial Counselling & Emergency Relief Manager, Broadmeadows UnitingCare writes: Re. “Market mayhem: when does correction become crash?” (yesterday, item 3). It is with a large lump in my throat that I listen to the losses incurred by the stock market over the last ten days. This is not so much a mourning for the investors, though I do worry about the increasing demand on our services that will no doubt accrue as the tumble trickle’s downward. I suspect it will be somewhat of a tidal wave before too long. This is when the saying “trickle down effect” is really felt. My major concern at this loss is, we have now experienced several losses which are estimated to be worth over $120 Billion. The context with which I understand the concept of a Billion is with regard to the Commonwealth State Housing Agreement. For the past 21 years there has been little or no growth, in this area of government expenditure. Affordable housing is in crisis as a result of this, and the inefficient delivery of housing assistance to private landlords through Centrelink rent assistance. The Commonwealth State Housing Agreement is an agreement that has been in place for over 50 years. That $120 Billion is 6 times more than has been spent in the last 20 years.

Juvenile “froth and floss”:

Garth Wong writes: Re. Eve Archer (yesterday, comments). As one of the original subscribers to Crikey when it was operated and owned by Stephen Mayne, I appreciate there continues to be some serious comments and contributions to the newsletter. That is why I have continued to pay a goody sum to subscribe and loath to cancel my subscription. That does not prevent me from expressing my personal opinion on the juvenile ‘froth and floss’ which seem to have invaded the daily offering. If I want to read this puerile student style of journalism, as recommended by Mick Hidden (yesterday, comments), I’ll check out the free website available from Byron Shire’s local rag.

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