Two Steps in a Lush Lunar Foxtrot

Fiona Uncategorized

Yes, the title is somewhat abstruse – but I, along with other university choristers, sang an interesting work by that name at the 1974 Intervarsity Choral Festival in Adelaide.

Anyway, as it seems to have been Friday forever, I thought it might be appropriate to reflect on last night’s fascinating Q&A, with the aid of ǢRCHIE’S ARCHIVE.

Empirical Discussion of Malcolm Roberts

Some of us have heard Senator-Elect Malcolm Roberts using the word ‘Empirical’ on numerous occasions.

Last night a whole lot more got to hear him use the word many times during the ABC show, Q&A.

Just what does the word mean and why is it at odds with much of what most scientists say and believe?

The Oxford Online Dictionary has the following definition.

Oxford Online Dictionary

So what Roberts is saying is that you cannot predict anything. If you see something happen and cause an outcome then you can explain it but you cannot use that event to conclude that should the same thing happen again that the outcome will be the same.

So scientists should never predict what MAY happen as a result of certain current conditions.

In Malcolm Roberts’ world anything to do with climate change is unprovable and so should be ignored because it relies on another long word.

Oxford Online Dictionary

In the Malcolm Roberts Universe it seems that any extrapolation is badly unscientific. I won’t insult my readers by quoting examples where we extrapolate outcomes from current data every day. In life or death situations which we simply take for granted. Tried crossing a busy street between traffic lately?

Malcolm, your repetitive use of the word ‘Empirical’ does not show you to be a knowledgeable scientist.

I note that your degree is in Engineering. Applied Science. The lesser brother of Theoretical Science. Yes, you can build stuff, you can play with Meccano with impeccable skill. Yet you have not learnt the skills that are Science. You have not developed a theory from repeated and repeatable experiments. You seem to show little understanding of that essential scientific method.

Every scientific theory relies on extrapolation.

A scientific theory is not something dreamed up at 2am by a group of bored people. It is an explanation garnered from empirical evidence discovered through experimentation, extrapolated within the theory to a predictable outcome then discussed, torn to pieces and accepted or rejected on the evidence and on the logic by others who also know the subject. That is what peer review is all about. Yes, theories do change around the edges but once accepted they are surprisingly robust. Even Newton’s three Laws of Thermodynamics still hold despite the tinkering Einstein provided with his theory of relativity.

I’m sorry, Malcolm, you do not convince anyone with any knowledge of science.

You are just a passing thorn in the side of progress.

221 thoughts on “Two Steps in a Lush Lunar Foxtrot”

  4. Stuff’em . Moe pairing bastardry from that lot of peicks. Payback time.

    “Crean, Turnbull to miss Olley memorial after Abbott demands Thomson debate

    TONY Abbott’s savage parliamentary tactics have prevented Arts Minister Simon Crean from attending today’s memorial service for Margaret Olley, one of Australia’s most prominent cultural figures.

    And Liberal Malcolm Turnbull, a good friend of Ms Olley and her local member, also can’t attend the nationally televised event in Sydney.”

    https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiJvKXg8sbOAhUBW5QKHUd0Bm0QFgg1MAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.news.com.au%2Fnational%2Fpm-must-act-against-thomson-abbott%2Fstory-e6frfkvr-1226120910740&usg=AFQjCNFQPcU67zh0TlRkVqdDlUO0KpE6Ww
    .

  5. Good morning Dawn Patrollers. Today there is a monster cartoon supplement.

    Turnbull will today announce an omnibus bill collecting all the savings that coincide with what Labor had included in its election costings.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tough-choices-malcolm-turnbull-ramps-up-pressure-to-back-6b-in-savings-20160816-gqttbn.html
    Labor’s going to play hardball with the finely balanced parliament.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-to-play-hardball-with-pairing-and-test-governments-working-majority-20160816-gqtqwi.html
    Ben Eltham on Turnbull’s maladies.
    https://newmatilda.com/2016/08/16/the-symptoms-of-malcolm-turnbulls-maladies/
    Michelle Grattan says that an out of touch Turnbull has a long way to run yet with the banking story.
    https://theconversation.com/the-banking-story-has-a-way-to-run-for-malcolm-turnbull-64010
    David Tyler on Turnbull’s growing list of catastrophes.
    https://independentaustralia.net/article-display/tthe-2016-census-brandis-diarynauru-and-other-turnbull-catastrophes,9356
    MUST READ! Ross Gittins ramps up the sarcasm index to 10.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/big-business-has-had-it-tough-for-too-long-just-ask-them-20160815-gqtblg.html
    More than anything this proposal reeks of Liberal ideology. It should be blocked.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/comment-and-analysis/is-the-door-already-closing-on-australias-recently-announced-open-data-policy-20160816-gqtvi4.html
    Michael West dives deeper into the proposal.
    http://www.michaelwest.com.au/asic-fees-rampant/
    The Gosford church (sort of) reaches out to Pauline Hanson.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/pauline-how-about-lunch-promuslim-church-reaches-out-to-one-nation-20160816-gqtksw.html
    This will test Barnaby Joyce’s unparalleled skills.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/barnaby-joyce-to-host-dairy-symposium-in-late-august-amid-industry-crisis-20160816-gqtzpd.html

  6. Section 2 . . .

    The public service union is targeting Michaela cash for failing to engage in good faith.
    http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/failure-to-engage-in-good-faith-public-service-union-targets-minister-michaelia-cash-20160816-gqtr7l.html
    Some difficulties emerge for senior police at the Lindt inquiry.
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/last-explosive-days-of-lindt-inquest-raise-questions-about-nsw-police-leadership-20160816-gqtp2k.html
    Where being well endowed in the dick department is a distinct disadvantage. Have a look!
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/08/16/inconvenient-penis-is-a-huge-problem-for-japanese-pole-vaulter-h/?utm_hp_ref=au-homepage
    Trump seeks out the very best to assist his campaign.
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-election/ousted-fox-news-chief-roger-ailes-is-advising-donald-trump-ahead-of-presidential-debates-20160816-gqu4to.html
    A group of Republican foreign policy experts say that a Trump presidency would be a disaster for stability in Asia. Google.
    /news/politics/world/us-election-donald-trump-a-disaster-for-asia-stability-20160816-gqtka4
    Yes, the media are biased against Trump but that’s because he mostly tells lies.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/16/media-bias-against-donald-trump-lies
    The pressure is coming from everywhere on Turnbull to get active on the Nauru situation.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/call-summit-on-nauru-manus-island-malcolm-turnbull-urged-20160816-gqtlqi.html
    It’s getting hard to tell whether certain conservatives are trolls or are for real.
    https://newmatilda.com/2016/08/16/its-getting-hard-to-tell-which-conservatives-are-trolling-and-which-are-for-real/
    At parliament school with the new MPs.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/first-day-at-school-for-new-mps-20160816-gqtq82.html
    What on EARTH is BMW doing here? Looks like fully blown disgraceful conduct to me.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/want-a-bmw-no-disposable-income-no-problem–have-a-loan-anyway-20160815-gqswtd.html

  7. Section 3 . . .

    Tony Wright with a pen picture of the Senator from Wonderland – Malcolm Roberts.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/the-new-senator-from-wonderland-dons-his-special-aluminium-helmet-20160816-gqth4d.html
    The knife is set to come out to cut hundreds of jobs from Immigration and Border Force. Let’s see what chaos this “efficiency dividend” brings.
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/public-service/hundreds-more-jobs-to-go-at-immigration-and-border-force-20160816-gqtokg.html
    The history of the far right in Australia.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/16/between-the-bomb-and-the-ballot-box-the-history-of-the-far-right-in-australia
    An implosion is imminent at the Brisbane Lions Football Club.
    http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/leigh-matthews-set-to-walk-out-on-brisbane-lions-as-coach-justin-leppitsch-set-to-lose-job-20160816-gqu1oj.html

  8. Section 4 . . . Cartoon Corner Part 1

    Dutton sends a message to refugees – Ron Tandberg.

    Ron Tandberg with the Gosford church invitation to Hanson.

    An eight part series on Neoliberal Health Care from Mark David.







  9. Section 5 . . . Cartoon Corner Part 2

    Cathy Wilcox and Anti-Science Week.

    This one from Cathy Wilcox is telling! I wonder it there’s an angry white male under that hood.

    A ripper from David Rowe here.

    A sorrowful cartoon from Jordan.

    David Pope and the Life of Brian (Cox).

  10. Section 6 . . . Cartoon Corner Part 3

    Warren Brown and NSW infrastructure.

    Alan Moir with Morrison’s superannuation woes.
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/alan-moir-20150921-gjrcxr.html
    Mark Knight – Canberra comes to the aid of dairy farmers.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/01ddf47bb23cd824bc873c1fb8a2c184
    Rod Clement at yesterday’s visit to Murray-Goulburn.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/742371f0b0ef17952267cfe7fcd41665?width=650
    Bill Leak with David Leyonhjelm at QandA.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/6dff26ad744c14385da9e2a130a93342?width=1024
    MUST WATCH! The video on the census debacle shown on Insiders last Sunday.
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2016/08/15/census-independence-day/

  11. Pyne’s lying whining about pairs is already getting tiresome.

    Labor IS NOT denying sick leave or family leave to anyone. Labor is saying they will not provide a pair for a government MP who is taking that sort of leave. This is perfectly OK, legal, legitimate, whatever you want to call it because the pairs thing only applies during a hung parliament. Fizza has spent a lot of time boating about his ‘solid majority’ so the Fizza government does not qualify for pairs.

    Maybe Chrissie and Fizza should spend a bit of time together occasionally, have a bit of a chat now and then, enjoy a man-date, do some collaboration so they can get their lies coordinated.

  14. Good to see Barnarby Joyce using the phrase I predicted yesterday, when he said “Two wrongs don’t make a right” in reference to Labor’s reluctance on pairing, this morning on ABC radio.

    With Chris Pyne’s comments on pairing, and Abbott’s condemnation of “petty partisan politics” last week, we have come full circle in La-La-Land.

    • They think we are stupid. They think we can’t remember anything that happened before 8 this morning. They think they can just open their mouths and spout garbage and we will believe it all.

      They can think again .

  17. Leone

    Unfortunately too many in Aussie do forget, or don’t pay attention, which has always been the way. The msm are the worst culprits.

  18. More trouble for Fizza and Sprout

    An unprecedented one hundred and three former staff previously and currently employed in offshore processing centres on Manus Island and Nauru have today issued a statement warning that the only way to secure the safety of refugees and asylum seekers in these locations is to bring them to Australia immediately.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/17/this-is-critical-103-nauru-and-manus-staff-speak-out-their-letter-in-full

    Going to prosecute all of them?

  19. All the usual stuff about pairing being regurgitated… “Labor should know better”, “Time to end the mindless partisanship”, “Two wrongs don’t make a right”, “Unfair work practices”, “Petty payback” etc. across the various tabloids and News Ltd outlets… plus the ABC of course.

    It’s not so much that Pyne et al can’t remember anything that happened before 8am, it’s that they rely on the Media to put this rubbish out as incontrovertible truth.

    I, for one, am sick of Labor being expected to be the moral lighthouse of Australian politics, and then marked down if they are not. When they were the victims of Abbott’s pairing tactics, they were “hapless”, “disorganized”, “shambolic” and so on.

    Whether dishing it out, or on the receiving end of Coalition political dirty play Labor are always losers in the eyes of the Media.

    May as well be hung for a sheep as a goat. Sick ’em Bill.

  23. tlbd

    Haven’t seen anything on twitter about it, maybe all the ones I follow have given up on RN as well. I see a couple of people are saying the same as I said to Razz the other day with Jon Faine, he hasn’t talked Fed politics for ages now, his re-education camp was obviously a success.

  25. Liberals are doing their usual conclusion-based-on-false-premise routine. They claim their budget cuts will build the economy based on nothing other than their claims. Without bothering to stop for a second to justify what they intend to do, they move on to the ALP’s ‘duty’ to pass the cuts for the good of the economy.

    The ALP will rightly want all this more closely looked at, and the Liberal response will be that the ALP are being obstructionist.

  26. tlbd

    Nup, nothing unusual about that interview, she was her nasty belligerent self, now I’ll go and have a shower and brush my teeth again to get the bad smell off me.

  28. The call for milk to be handed out to kids in schools is a blast from the past.
    As a kid in the 50s I went to a bush school with an enrollment of about 20 or less, about 20 miles from the “big town” that was the administrative hub of the district. Our milk came from Goulburn, about 150 miles away to a distribution point at the big town from whence a truck (uncovered) distributed it to the schools in the town and the 30 or so small schools dotted around the district, some of which were even smaller than ours. Deliveries started about 8:00 am and our school was near the end of the circuitous route so we got ours about 1:00pm. In summer time the glass bottles were almost too hot to touch from their exposure to the sun, and often the teachers would insist that the milk be thrown out as it had curdled.
    We were all brought up on farms and so were never in need of the benefits of free milk, our family regularly milked 2 or 3 cows for our house and for the use of our employees and others who needed it. However the flavouring of the milk added to its attraction and so it was seldom refused.

    • School milk is the worst memory of my school days.

      The stuff came in miniature milk bottles, was delivered before dawn, stacked in crates behind one of the portables, uncovered, and then left to bake in the sun until 11 o’clock then served up warm and almost sour. It was plain milk, not flavoured. We were forced to drink it. My siblings and I had plenty of milk at home but like all the other parents back then mum refused to write notes to get us out of drinking the revolting school stuff. Parents were not as indulgent and pampering of their offspring as they are now.

      School milk continued to plague me when I started teaching. It was up to me to force little kids to drink their milk. There was a brief respite when I taught at Ballina for 6 months. The milk there came from Norco, was flavoured, delivered about 9 in the morning and stored in a special refrigerated area. The kids loved it and always hoped for seconds.

      In Griffith the milk came in little plastic bags. The milk monitors had to snip off a corner, then a straw was inserted. You can imagine what a bunch of boisterous little boys liked to do with their little bags of milk. The flavours were revolting. Banana milk, anyone?

      Gough Whitlam killed off free school milk in 1973 and teachers everywhere were immensely thankful.

    • Some years ago we had a milkman deliver the milk in bottles. I never felt it was really fresh. I gave it up.

      At school in winter we had a hot chocolate and a REM biscuit which was delicious.

  29. I had forgotten about the banana flavoured milk. It was disgusting and of course bore no resemblance to the taste of an actual banana.

  30. Heh! Kelly O’Bigmouth has the boot on the other foot… and it’s shoved firmly in her mouth:

    “For Labor to turn around and say, where you’ve got family emergences you are not going to be able to leave … I think they need to explain why they’ve made that decision,” she said.

    Asked about Ms Rowland’s experience, Ms O’Dwyer said the Labor opposition “should not play games” with similar situations.

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/barnaby-joyce-admits-coalition-was-wrong-to-deny-pairs-in-hung-parliament-20160816-gqu7jz.html

    Suddenly depriving MPs of a pair is “a game”, presumably one that only children play, or are victims of.

    How sweet it is.

  31. Getting lost in all the chatter about pairs is something else that will really hurt the Fizza government.

    Labor has refused to provide anyone for the Speaker’s panel. This means the government will have to provide all the deputy speakers for this term of government. That’s going to hurt that ‘solid majority’ when Mr Speaker has to take time off to attend to official business.
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-17/labor-to-put-parliamentary-majority-to-test/7750250

  33. What about the chemical fake strawberry flavouring ‘saturated’ in the straw if that was your want?

    Did milk & ink monitors eventually end up as CEO’s of corporations?

    • At my primary school the milk monitors were real stand-over boys. They probably became prison warders. The ink monitors were grossly incompetent. They had to mix up the ink themselves, using a powder and water, they never managed to get it right. It was either so watery it was useless, or so thick it clogged up our nibs. I think with that ability to stuff up a simple task they grew up to be either CEOs or conservative politicians.

    • School milk was only a problem for us in that it used to freeze in the bottles in winter if it wasn’t carted into the canteen. Wasn’t so bad in the early summer months, but then England was slightly cooler back in the day.
      Mrs Thatcher stopped the school milk ration in the 60s when she was the education minister, she also amalgamated my girls grammar school into a co-ed comprehensive that was horrible and for which my parents never forgave her. (I think they were glad to be in Australia while she was PM.)

  36. there are a lot of OLD pictures there, some have been recycled though many years in politics so Pauline is no exception and as said her background is a give away. Not much thought went into it.

  37. Just had a flying trip into A&E, to have the canula replaced. It was amazing we wouldn’t have been there more than ten minutes. We can believe it was so quick. Have to go back Sunday for them to see if she needs to continue. We asked what would be a good time and the nurse said 8am.

    On the drive we in had to turn radio off because Fizza was making awful noises out of his mouth. On the way home had Toolman on, I started ranting and Razz told me to stfu, so I did, and to our surprise he was laughing about them turning the sound off when the woman was protesting, then apparently the turned the lights off while Fizza was still talking. Then toolman said wtte, it didn’t matter anyway we’ve heard it all before. There was the ‘plan’ but nothing about what is in the plan, etc etc etc. We were both gobsmacked.

  39. I think Barnaby’s a bit sulky about the pairing thing because it means he can’t have a couple of bottles of red before a major vote without risking the government losing votes on the floor.

    Here’s hoping Labor is merciless with this. But not too merciless of course, the look of a Coalition MP having to be in the house with a drip attached to them for a major vote probably won’t be good and will be howled about by the CPG.

  40. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/17/manus-island-detention-centre-to-close-australia-and-papua-new-guinea-agree

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-11/australia-brings-in-second-refugee-agency-on-cambodia-deal/7718334 from 11 August

  41. Leone

    Any chance you could could copy Bernard Keane’s article into the blog?
    “Labor should be totally disruptive — here’s the theory that explains why”

    Paul Bongiorno tweeted it and it looks interesting, but paywalled..

    • Here it is –

      Labor should be totally disruptive — here’s the theory that explains why

      Should Labor adopt bipartisanship now that the Coalition needs it? It shouldn’t — not for revenge, but game theory shows it will serve the national interest to “defect”.
      Bernard Keane — Politics Editor

      The Coalition has suddenly discovered the joys of bipartisanship, and it’s a wonder to behold. Last week, Tony Abbott lamented the “hyperpartisanship” of contemporary politics without admitting he was its principal source, but acknowledged he shouldn’t have blocked the Malaysian Solution in opposition.

      Now, Coalition MPs are complaining about Labor’s refusal to pair with the government when MPs need to be absent from the forthcoming Parliament where the government will permanently teeter on the verge of minority status. And they’re grudgingly acknowledging that perhaps their own refusal to co-operate with the Gillard government might have been wrong.

      “Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Barnaby Joyce said last night on the ABC about non-pairing.

      Except, in fact, they do, at least in this context.

      In 2011, Crikey suggested that the Coalition’s abandonment of economic responsibility in favour of populist oppositionism should be viewed as an example of the “iterated prisoner’s dilemma” — a game theory scenario in which you play multiple rounds of a game in which you can co-operate or not co-operate (called “defecting”) with a rival in each round to achieve individual or joint positive outcomes.
      https://www.crikey.com.au/2011/08/15/what-game-theory-says-about-labors-woes/

      The classic scenario of the game is two criminals separately being interrogated by police, knowing that if they confess first they will get a lighter sentence than the other but also that if neither confesses, both go free. In that scenario, “defecting” — confessing — is the rational decision, even if it would be better if both adopted the “super-rational” position of not confessing.

      [Census clusterfuck hits a government already lurching between bungles]
      https://www.crikey.com.au/2016/08/10/census-debacle-hits-a-government-already-lurching-from-crisis-to-crisis/

      But being able to remember what happened in the previous round changes the game fundamentally, because what is rational in one round (defecting) might not be rational over multiple rounds. So, in the iterated version, you remember what your opponent did last time, and can respond accordingly. If the other player defected, you can continue to co-operate in the current round, or you can also defect.

      Game theory says that continuing to co-operate in multiple rounds when your rival isn’t makes no sense — you’re simply rewarding them for their non-co-operation. Instead, you should adopt a “tit for tat” strategy that punishes your rival for defecting, instead of rewarding them. That provides an incentive for them to return to co-operation. But how do you stop an endless cycle of tit-for-tat responses? You build in a small element of co-operation instead of 100% defection, thereby providing the basis for your rival to co-operate in response.

      That outcome is not merely good for the non-defecting rival, it actual maximises the overall benefits from the game. Once the defecting rival returns to co-operation, both get benefits. In political language, if a party is continually rewarded for adopting a wrecking, opportunity strategy, it will never stop, but if it is given an incentive return to co-operation, it will do so, with overall benefits for both sides — in this case, returning to political and economic rationality will be better overall for the national interest than one side perpetually engaging in opportunism and populism.

      So now that the Coalition is in pretty much exactly the position the Gillard government found itself in –i.e., where into the next iteration of the fame — should Labor co-operate or defect? It should defect — that is, punish the Coalition for its defection in the last round, in order to encourage the Coalition to not defect in the future. If it co-operates, it will simply be rewarding the Coalition for its defection — and next time the Coalition is in opposition, it will do it again.

      There’s a short-term cost to the national interest. However, longer-term, Labor actually serves the national interest by punishing the Coalition — provided it flags that it is prepared to return to cooperation. Two wrongs can indeed make a right. It isn’t merely a case of revenge for Labor, or political karma for the Coalition. There’s a serious national interest issue here — and game theory says it’s served best by Labor being as obstructionist as possible

      https://www.crikey.com.au/2016/08/17/keane-on-why-labor-should-disrupt-parliament/

  42. https://www.crikey.com.au/2016/08/17/keane-on-why-labor-should-disrupt-parliament/

    Yes the above is paywalled, but if you want to get the gist, read the below 2011 article he refers back to. Its now free, and goes into plenty of detail on the concept.

    https://www.crikey.com.au/2011/08/15/what-game-theory-says-about-labors-woes/

  44. Aircraft Flyover and Artillery Salute to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan – Canberra

    What: A National Commemorative Service will be held at the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial on Anzac Parade, Canberra at 10.00am on 18 August. The Service will include:

    • a flyover of aircraft from the Vietnam era, including a C-130J, a HARS Caribou, DC3, UH-1 Iroquois, Sioux, Cessna 0-2, Cessna Bird Dog and a USAF B-52 bomber. The C-130-J flypast at 10 00 am will signal the commencement of the service.

    • the firing of a Salute of four artillery guns during the service will symbolise the major role artillery played in the successful outcome of the battle. The guns will be manned by members from 103 and 105 Australia Batteries, 161 New Zealand Battery and a United States Army gun crew.

    Where: The aircraft will pass from Parliament House along Anzac Parade and over the Australian War Memorial. The guns will be fired from Rond Terrace on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin.

    When: Between 10.00am – 11.00am, Thursday 18 August 2016.

    The 18th of August is recognised nationally as Vietnam Veterans’ Day. This year, it also marks the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan – one of Australia’s most significant engagements during the Vietnam War.

    On this important anniversary, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will join with the Australian community to honour the service and sacrifice of the men and women who served Australia during the Vietnam War.

    The ADF will participate in various commemorations for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, including a National Commemorative Service to be held at the Australian Vietnam Forces National Memorial on Anzac Parade.

    The National Commemorative Service is being organised by the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, ACT & District Branch, with assistance from the Vietnam Veterans Stakeholder Committee and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

    Throughout the Service, there will be a series of aircraft from the Vietnam era flying over Canberra, including a C-130-J, a HARS Caribou, DC3, UH-1 Iroquois, Sioux, Cessna 0-2, Cessna Bird Dog and a USAF B-52 bomber. For most Australians it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this collection of aircraft flying in one location. The fixed-wing aircraft will fly at heights no lower than 1 000 feet above terrain and the helicopters will operate no lower than 500 feet above terrain, and no faster than 150 knots.

    The Australian Defence Force appreciates the support it receives from the Canberra community during this activity. Flypasts and the firing of guns are conducted within strict limitations, with consideration to safety, noise reduction and the environment.

    We appreciate the media informing the public of these flying activities to minimise disruption to the local community.

  45. Anyone else see the disgusting footage of Fizza giving money to a beggar?

  46. Long Tan? I’m with the Vietnamese.

    For obvious reasons, they don’t want ceremony but are willing for small groups and individual people to visit the memorial.

    • Agreed. The restrictions seemed quite reasonable, as did the “friendship dinner” between the veterans of both sides.

      1000 people plus a concert – WTF?! Did the “Camp Long Tan” mob get involved?

  47. Skippy didn’t cover himself in glory at the time of the Lindt affair.

    One example: wtte “we should do so-and-so but it’s up to you”. Then, denying, before the coroner, that he did not think that was “as close as you can get to a command.”

  48. 7.5 is doing a good summary of the Lindt thingy.

    Good to see they waited till all the submissions and interviews are over.

    Skippy and Bambi not looking good.

  49. In a 50 meter Olympic pool, at the current men’s world record 50m pace, a thousandth-of-a-second constitutes 2.39 millimeters of travel. FINA pool dimension regulations allow a tolerance of 3 centimeters in each lane, more than ten times that amount. Could you time swimmers to a thousandth-of-a-second? Sure, but you couldn’t guarantee the winning swimmer didn’t have a thousandth-of-a-second-shorter course to swim. (Attempting to construct a concrete pool to any tighter a tolerance is nearly impossible; the effective length of a pool can change depending on the ambient temperature, the water temperature, and even whether or not there are people in the pool itself.)

    This Is Why There Are So Many Ties In Swimming
    http://regressing.deadspin.com/this-is-why-there-are-so-many-ties-in-swimming-1785234795

    • A tolerance of 3 cms and measuring to a thousands of a second.

      Can’t see the problem. Nor, it seems, can bods running swimming events.

    • 3cm WTF. With that sort of margin of error they must think the Coalition builds them

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