Lemons

Mmmm.., the smell of fresh lemons on a cold, wet, Winter’s day! Drying part of our bumper crop today. That’s Summer’s gin & tonics sorted.

What happened to mateship?

I despair at the petty parochialism shown between States during this Covid crisis. 

OK, so Gladys once made a throwaway comment in front of a hot mic about not being able to help Victoria with extra vaccines. 

It was dumb, but that was then, this is now; circumstances have changed. Is it a good enough reason to refuse to help the people of NSW when they are in a desperate situation? 

What has happened to us as Australians in recent years? Aren’t we bigger than this? 

When I’ve been lucky enough to travel to other countries, I say I’m Australian – I don’t say I’m South Australian. 

And what do our pundits and politicians, journalists and writers, and the bloke in the pub say is the key element of the Australian character? What has happened to the much-lauded concept of mateship? They point to the ANZACS and the following generations of ordinary people turned heroes by conflict who looked after each other, made sure that no-one was left behind and risked their own lives to save their mates. They argue that it has become a defining Australian characteristic and is one of the reasons why we are successful and respected as a people and as a nation. 

 So how come in NSW’s hour of need, people in other states and territories lower the portcullis, pull up the drawbridge and say to Gladys, “There is no way you’re getting any of our vaccines”. It’s like a miser hoarding gold or a child putting an arm round their lollies to ward off other kids. 

“Ah, but she wouldn’t help Victoria when they asked.” So what? It’s not about Gladys, it’s about people. They are in need. 

I’m eerily reminded of the “All Lives Matter” argument when people try to belittle the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Of course all lives matter, no one is saying they don’t. But right at this moment, in the context to which it refers, white folk are not the ones in danger, black people are; white folk are not the ones who need extra help right now, black people do. 

Yes, we all need as many people as possible to get vaccinated both to protect their and the community’s health and to help get us out of lockdowns and other restrictions. But right now, the people of NSW are the ones in greater danger. And other folk are saying, “You’re on your own, mate!”. 

What material difference would it make if out of the one million Pfizer doses promised to be delivered this week, and maybe the one million promised for the following week, each State and Territory let NSW have 10% of their allocation? 

What would be the downside? For SA, our share of the weekly provision should be around 100,000. Forego 10% and it would be 90,000. The national vaccine roll-out has been such a failure so far and we are so far behind where we should be, would a few more days delay be so disastrous that it cannot even be contemplated? Would it really make that much of a difference in the big picture provided we continue to be as careful and as successful as we have been with other protective measures? 

We are told that we have so much AstraZenaca sloshing around that the shortfall could be met, if only the Federal Government could get its act together in promoting its benefits instead of its mixed and sometimes bizarre messaging making people unnecessarily confused and frightened. 

Aren’t we all in this together? Why can’t a State where the risk is lower be a bit generous to people who haven’t been so fortunate? Would a Premier who made a tough and unpopular decision to give a small portion of their State’s vaccine allocation to people in a much worse situation lose many votes in the short term, or would they gain more respect in the long-term through showing strong and compassionate leadership?

Olympics Opening 2021

I have no idea what the Kabuki was about, but my word, it and the piano were magnificent.

Space Toys

Is it just me who is bewildered by all the fuss that is made of these mega-rich, multi-billionaires and their space toys? 

Are there any benefits accruing to society from their jaunts - new technology, better science, enhanced understanding between groups, improved relationships between countries, and so on? 

I wonder how these men will be remembered by future generations? Will they be remembered as space heroes or self-centred, time and resource wasters? 

Imagine what good they could achieve and how they'd be remembered if they put their wealth towards directly improving society: building hospitals, orphanages, schools and laboratories, endowing museums and universities, funding medical and other research. 

We've seen what happens when you throw a lot of money and resources at a problem - like developing a range of anti-covid vaccines in 18 months instead of over many years. Imagine what could be if these super-wealthy men put their money into cancer or dementia research, or maybe into setting up an endowment foundation that could fund worthy projects for perpetuity. 

Wouldn't they rather have their names attached to such endeavours and forever be seen as benefactors to humankind instead of self-indulgent dilettantes?

Second Jab

Got my second AstraZeneca jab today. Feeling great and my 5G reception is noticeably improved. 😉 

Rob Harrop commented: And the voices in your head are clearer now. 

Ian: Do not mock. I'm now waiting for Mr Trump to give me back my franking credits. 

Evening update: Still feeling good, but small metal objects are now sticking to me. 

You are more likely to die from being struck by lightning than from having a covid jab. Mind you, the odds of just being struck by lightning sometime during your lifetime are only 15,300:1, making it almost a near certainty. 

Update 4 Aug. And after a few days, the light comes on when you walk into a room. But you forget why you went in there....