Innerestin

I've learned a lot today. On Breakfast was an interesting piece about the Canberra bushfires and the role of the firefiders.

And on The World Today I learned that Morris Iemma has only been in NSW State Parliament since nineen-niney-nine.

Here we go again

"The Egyptian authorities are prosecuting members of the smuggling ring" (ABC-RN News, 7:00 pm, today).

Wrong. Unless Egypt finds people guilty at the beginning of their court cases rather than at the conclusion (something that increasingly seems to be the ABC's preferred method of justice), the Egyptian authorities are prosecuting alleged members of a smuggling ring. Possibly an alleged smuggling ring.

Just hope that if you're ever charged with a crime, the ABC doesn't report it, especially if you are innocent.

Why does Radio National even bother having a legal show?

Of crime and criminals

"Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Robert Kaplan looks at a number of past medical serial killers and talks about the events in Queensland where former Bundaberg-based surgeon Dr Jayant Patel is under investigation for the deaths of patients under his care."
The Health Report, ABC-RN, today

As discussed on June 26 in Turtles, the ABC is eroding your security and mine. Dr Jayant Patel, whom Dr Robert Kaplan compares with British serial killer Dr Harold Shipman, has not been tried, nor has he been charged with any crime.

Whether Patel is a criminal or not, monster or not, should it not be a crime to undermine publicly in such flagrant ways the "golden thread" of the justice system, namely the presumption that an accused person is innocent until proved guilty, and shouldn't those found guilty of that crime be made accountable?

Corosponents in fine voice

One of the really good things about ABC Radio is that its foreign correspondents don't sing to us, they speak to us. (For this, one can almost forgive them the wording 'Corospondents' Report' in the title bar, which must have been written by foreign correspondents as the apostrophe is in order.)

The BBC foreign correspondents, on the other hand, sound like the losers on a Gregorian chant talent show, or the adenoidal sufferers of some tragic Tourettoid syndrome. Isn't it the weirdest and most annoying affectation you've ever heard?

Mark Willesee: please stay away from those pommy guys, or better still, come home soon. It is said to be very contagious and you seem not at all well.

Actually, on consideration: 'corospondents' is unforgivable on the national broadcaster's website.

Categories: scose, abc, australia, australian, english, language, radio, grammar, spelling, pronunciation

Sometimes those simple things can be so tricky!

Good to see that Ms McCrossin is back from a few days off sick, and I listened in yesterday. I wonder if Messrs Adams and McCutcheon would be good enough to mention to her about the "disinterested/uninterested" thing we discussed on Friday.

The Songman The Songman The Songman The Songman

I'm taking bets on how many more times ABC-RN (Street Stories) can broadcast The Songman before the tape wears right through.

I stand corrected

Re this morning's post: N? writes: "To be fair, Lance Armstrong is a cancer survivor who has since won the Tour de France -- a 2,274 mile race through the Alps -- no less than 5 times. He has said that 2005 will be his last tour. More than 40 million of Lance Armstrong's 'Live Strong' yellow bracelets have been sold to raise money for cancer research. This is more than a sports story. :)"

I probably would have known this if I had paid attention, but I plead a sudden urge to go to the bathroom. It was, after all, ablutions time. Good on him for raising money for cancer.

Not interested in English?

Here's a dictionary link, for Messrs Adams and McCutcheon and the many other ABC-RN folks who confuse the words 'disinterest' and 'uninterest', one of those primary school quiz standards.

A bouquet to Life Matters

Life Matters is having a challenge to its audience to give up TV for two weeks, which is a good start. Congratulations oto the producers for heading in the right direction. I think I can safely guarantee that of the people who take up the challenge, many will be surprised at the withdrawal symptoms. If the challenge were made to cover a year, very many people would discover the improvement to the imagination and consciousness as the pathological effects of television start to subside. As with recovery from drug addiction, four seasons need to be gone through to know if one is addicted, and also to begin to feel really well.

Round round wheels go around round round

The hours around 8:30 in the morning are when the mind is receptive and creative, a great time for stimulating radio programming. News, current affairs, educational and thought-provoking programs suit this time of day, and ABC-RN has much to recommend it on this score.

That's why it's a bad time for broadcasting a sports program. This morning for a full half hour listeners had to hear about some bloke from Texas named Lance Armstrong who apparently can ride a pushbike very well.

Now, I'm all for human excellence, and there are a great many areas of human achievement that should be lauded when they occur. We would all benefit by hearing about the person who is best at the world at, say, inventing technologies that help the poor get out of the energy-dollars cycle, the person who has found a cure for malaria or AIDS, or the man or woman who has contributed the most to a critique of war or pop culture.

But some areas of human achievement, set against the background of the real world we live in, are plainly silly and juvenile, especially when performed by alleged grown-ups. When the mind is fresh and clear at breakfast time, the last thing one wants to listen to is half an hour about the world's best popcorn eater, the champion yo-yoer, the world champion 43-Man Squamish team, or the man or woman who can make the biggest ball of string or make the longest paper snake from a Minties wrapper. Or be the faster rider of a tricycle, bicycle or scooter.

The national broadcaster is better today than when it used to be said that ABC stood for 'All Bloody Cricket', as they were wise enough to get rid of much of that nonsense. Can we hope that people who are good at riding pushbikes and hitting or chasing balls and so on can be discussed at a suitable hour (if at all) ... say, 4 a.m.?