This will hurt me...

The ballot for the next family holiday. November 2019. As a young lad – in the years before smart phones, the Internet and more than two television channels – I would spend hours pawing over atlases, encyclopaedias and novels from all over the globe. Sure, I might have been stuck in a dying, deindustrialising town (downgraded from a city, such was our fortune) on the north west of an island that served as the butt all the jokes of the rest of the state (which itself served as the punchline of the jokes of the rest of the country), at the arse end of the World; but that very same World was at my fingertips, with a little bit of help from a library card. While I may have lamented never getting the chance of crossing those seas and seeing much of that World myself, I tried to keep my mind and imagination open. Therefore, now we are of means, and my kids are old enough to survive a bit of discomfort, I am keen to help them see as much of the planet while I have some kind of infl...

Electioneering. East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. April 2013. Sunday Stealing: The 5000 Question Meme, Part Three A 51. Make up a definition for the following silly words... Fruitgoogle : A very private part of a lady. Ambytime : That point when a binge drinker passes the point of no return. Asscactus : A particularly intimidating sex toy. 52. What was the last thing you made with your own hands? I made an impressive space shuttle out of Klikko the other day. 53. What was your favourite toy as a child? Sand. 54. How many TV’s are in your house? Just the one. It’s rarely ever on these days, thankfully. 55. What is your favourite thing to do outside? Walking, swimming or taking photos. 56. How do you feel when you see a rainbow? I can’t say that I feel anything in particular. 57. Have you ever dreamt a dream that came true? Indeed I have. A naughty dream it was too… 58. Have you ever been to a psychic/ tarot reader? No. I don’t think that I could keep ...

I have expended quite a few words on Robert Mugabe over the past few months, but really, I think that five words is all that you need: What an odious, obnoxious prick. His comment this time? Prior to his dodgy runoff election he comes out with : "Anyone who tries to undermine our land reform we will challenge. We are prepared to fight for our country or to go to war if we lose it - as happened to our forefathers." This is exactly the rhetoric that one could see in Spain prior to the Spanish General Election of 1936 (albeit from both sides in that case). We know what happened there .

You may have heard that there has been an election going on in Zimbabwe. In what will be a test for democracy in southern Africa, the results may well decide the fate of liberal democracy in much of the under-developed world. The BBC has an interesting pictorial essay on the election, and it fits nicely with their streaming of 'on the ground' contributions and observations that have been solicited from all over the country. This is an excellent insight for those of us lucky enough to live in stable countries, and should remind us to be very thankful for our comparatively 'dull' electoral systems. The Times over the weekend featured an excellent article that spoke of the " the electricity of hope " that can be felt in the electoral processes of developing countries. In a result that has – to be frank – stunned me, independent monitoring groups have said that returns posted at about two-thirds of polling stations have given Tsvangirai 55% of the vote to Mugab...

People might have missed the surprising results coming out of the Malaysian elections held on the weekend. (As usual), the Australian media haven't really captured what happened particularly well, so I was pleased to see Andrew Leigh post the thoughts of his father, Professor Michael Leigh , who has studied Malaysian politics for some time now. For those of you interested, or even if you don't know anything about South East Asian politics, it's an easy and informative read: the Malaysian Election Roundup . [Amended 10:04 am] Trust me to post before looking at all the papers! Michael Leigh has an opinion piece in The Age this morning that expands upon his post on Andrew Leigh's blog, here is the link .