Latest news with #TheEchidna
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
When your own people call you out, take notice
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The words are what you'd expect from a speaker at a pro-Palestinian rally. Or a father whose family has just been killed in an airstrike. "Israel is taking co-ordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip. In other words: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." But the words come from inside Israel, from B'Tselem, the country's leading human rights organisation. Under the heading OUR GENOCIDE in large black type on its website, is one of the strongest condemnations of the conduct of the war so far. Written by Israelis, addressed to Israelis, it is courageous and cutting, adding to the chorus of opprobrium levelled at Israel after harrowing images of starving children have been broadcast around the world. "Its military onslaught on Gaza, under way for more than 21 months, has included mass killing, both directly and through creating unlivable conditions, serious bodily or mental harm to an entire population, decimation of basic infrastructure throughout the Strip, and forcible displacement on a huge scale, with ethnic cleansing added to the list of official war objectives." B'Teslem's statement follows the ludicrous denial by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there was a starvation problem in Gaza, that somehow the images of skeletal children had been faked. Not even Israel's most ardent supporter Donald Trump bought that falsehood. And our own PM said the Israeli denial of starvation was "beyond comprehension". Better late than never, but finally the scales are dropping from the eyes of Israel's allies, whose past criticism of the conduct of the war has been frustratingly insipid. I'd not been planning on writing about the Gaza situation but that changed yesterday when an email dropped into the Echidna inbox, titled "Genocide for beginners". Unsolicited and unrelated to Monday's topic, it argued that based on an outdated figure of 42,000 deaths since October 7, 2023 - Gaza officials claim the number of deaths is now 62,000 - Israel wasn't committing genocide. "The Gaza Strip in 2023 had an estimated population of 2.1 million. That means that in one full year of committing genocide in Gaza, the Israelis have managed to kill only 2 per cent of the population. Israel possesses one of the most powerful armed forces in the world. Gaza is a densely populated urban area, with virtually no air defences. Yet Israel has managed to kill only 42,000 people in a full year of committing genocide." The author's calculus was grotesque: "It does seem strange that the Israelis, who have themselves, within living memory, experienced an attempted genocide, and who ought to be very clear about how to commit genocide, have proved so completely incompetent at committing genocide in Gaza." If its intent was to excuse Israel's conduct of the war, it failed miserably, just as Netanyahu's denial of starvation did. I'll leave the definition of genocide and war crimes to the experts, like the International Court of Justice, which last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, who'll never face court for his role in the October 7 atrocities because he was killed before the warrant was issued. In the meantime, B'Tselem deserves applause for its courage in calling out its own government. That takes real guts, especially in a time of war. HAVE YOUR SAY: Has there been enough pressure on Israel to recognise its conduct of the war in Gaza is unacceptable? What was your reaction to Netanyahu's claim there was no starvation problem in Gaza? Does our government's sanctioning of two right-wing Israeli ministers send a strong enough message or should those sanctions be widened? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Some customers at Australia's major banks will be refunded a combined total of $60 million after being charged excessive fees by the financial institutions. - A Sydney childcare centre has admitted to taping toddlers' mouths shut as part of a controversial "breathwork exercise". - The operator of the Ruby Princess cruise ship that embarked just as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the globe will remain liable to pay passengers impacted by the virus after a failed appeal. THEY SAID IT: "Genocide is not just a murderous madness; it is, more deeply, a politics that promises a utopia beyond politics - one people, one land, one truth, the end of difference." - Michael Ignatieff YOU SAID IT: Barnaby Joyce's doomed bid to cancel net zero climate targets confirms his slide off the political planter box. "Joyce, a small town accountant, a philanderer and a boofhead," writes Lai. "All hat and no cattle was the derogatory way we young drovers described the posers wearing RM boots, tweed sports coats and moleskin trousers. Joyce all over." Maggie writes: "As his constituent, I have often been in anguish over Barnaby's actions. Just now I'm smiling. Go, Barnaby! Keep the Coalition roiling! You're doing a great job!" "Quite apart from the fact, as you say, that we want more happening on climate change, the stupidity of Barnaby's idea is that his farming members want open markets to trade into," writes Gerry. "The UN now has Sustainable Development Goals which all trading partners must comply with in the future. His bizarre idea will compromise the very efforts of his farmer members if we have no climate focus." Terry writes: "Barnaby and his mates are extremely right-wing conservatives. Let them sing from the treetops. The Labor Party moved from the far left to the centre left some years ago. The Liberal Party is trying to move to the centre right but it's not an easy transition. Let's hope that they succeed. In the meantime, just continue to support progressive, centre of the road parties that acknowledge what's going on around us and are prepared to act. In the meantime, Barnaby should find a comfortable park bench and have a kip." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The words are what you'd expect from a speaker at a pro-Palestinian rally. Or a father whose family has just been killed in an airstrike. "Israel is taking co-ordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip. In other words: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." But the words come from inside Israel, from B'Tselem, the country's leading human rights organisation. Under the heading OUR GENOCIDE in large black type on its website, is one of the strongest condemnations of the conduct of the war so far. Written by Israelis, addressed to Israelis, it is courageous and cutting, adding to the chorus of opprobrium levelled at Israel after harrowing images of starving children have been broadcast around the world. "Its military onslaught on Gaza, under way for more than 21 months, has included mass killing, both directly and through creating unlivable conditions, serious bodily or mental harm to an entire population, decimation of basic infrastructure throughout the Strip, and forcible displacement on a huge scale, with ethnic cleansing added to the list of official war objectives." B'Teslem's statement follows the ludicrous denial by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there was a starvation problem in Gaza, that somehow the images of skeletal children had been faked. Not even Israel's most ardent supporter Donald Trump bought that falsehood. And our own PM said the Israeli denial of starvation was "beyond comprehension". Better late than never, but finally the scales are dropping from the eyes of Israel's allies, whose past criticism of the conduct of the war has been frustratingly insipid. I'd not been planning on writing about the Gaza situation but that changed yesterday when an email dropped into the Echidna inbox, titled "Genocide for beginners". Unsolicited and unrelated to Monday's topic, it argued that based on an outdated figure of 42,000 deaths since October 7, 2023 - Gaza officials claim the number of deaths is now 62,000 - Israel wasn't committing genocide. "The Gaza Strip in 2023 had an estimated population of 2.1 million. That means that in one full year of committing genocide in Gaza, the Israelis have managed to kill only 2 per cent of the population. Israel possesses one of the most powerful armed forces in the world. Gaza is a densely populated urban area, with virtually no air defences. Yet Israel has managed to kill only 42,000 people in a full year of committing genocide." The author's calculus was grotesque: "It does seem strange that the Israelis, who have themselves, within living memory, experienced an attempted genocide, and who ought to be very clear about how to commit genocide, have proved so completely incompetent at committing genocide in Gaza." If its intent was to excuse Israel's conduct of the war, it failed miserably, just as Netanyahu's denial of starvation did. I'll leave the definition of genocide and war crimes to the experts, like the International Court of Justice, which last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, who'll never face court for his role in the October 7 atrocities because he was killed before the warrant was issued. In the meantime, B'Tselem deserves applause for its courage in calling out its own government. That takes real guts, especially in a time of war. HAVE YOUR SAY: Has there been enough pressure on Israel to recognise its conduct of the war in Gaza is unacceptable? What was your reaction to Netanyahu's claim there was no starvation problem in Gaza? Does our government's sanctioning of two right-wing Israeli ministers send a strong enough message or should those sanctions be widened? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Some customers at Australia's major banks will be refunded a combined total of $60 million after being charged excessive fees by the financial institutions. - A Sydney childcare centre has admitted to taping toddlers' mouths shut as part of a controversial "breathwork exercise". - The operator of the Ruby Princess cruise ship that embarked just as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the globe will remain liable to pay passengers impacted by the virus after a failed appeal. THEY SAID IT: "Genocide is not just a murderous madness; it is, more deeply, a politics that promises a utopia beyond politics - one people, one land, one truth, the end of difference." - Michael Ignatieff YOU SAID IT: Barnaby Joyce's doomed bid to cancel net zero climate targets confirms his slide off the political planter box. "Joyce, a small town accountant, a philanderer and a boofhead," writes Lai. "All hat and no cattle was the derogatory way we young drovers described the posers wearing RM boots, tweed sports coats and moleskin trousers. Joyce all over." Maggie writes: "As his constituent, I have often been in anguish over Barnaby's actions. Just now I'm smiling. Go, Barnaby! Keep the Coalition roiling! You're doing a great job!" "Quite apart from the fact, as you say, that we want more happening on climate change, the stupidity of Barnaby's idea is that his farming members want open markets to trade into," writes Gerry. "The UN now has Sustainable Development Goals which all trading partners must comply with in the future. His bizarre idea will compromise the very efforts of his farmer members if we have no climate focus." Terry writes: "Barnaby and his mates are extremely right-wing conservatives. Let them sing from the treetops. The Labor Party moved from the far left to the centre left some years ago. The Liberal Party is trying to move to the centre right but it's not an easy transition. Let's hope that they succeed. In the meantime, just continue to support progressive, centre of the road parties that acknowledge what's going on around us and are prepared to act. In the meantime, Barnaby should find a comfortable park bench and have a kip." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The words are what you'd expect from a speaker at a pro-Palestinian rally. Or a father whose family has just been killed in an airstrike. "Israel is taking co-ordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip. In other words: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." But the words come from inside Israel, from B'Tselem, the country's leading human rights organisation. Under the heading OUR GENOCIDE in large black type on its website, is one of the strongest condemnations of the conduct of the war so far. Written by Israelis, addressed to Israelis, it is courageous and cutting, adding to the chorus of opprobrium levelled at Israel after harrowing images of starving children have been broadcast around the world. "Its military onslaught on Gaza, under way for more than 21 months, has included mass killing, both directly and through creating unlivable conditions, serious bodily or mental harm to an entire population, decimation of basic infrastructure throughout the Strip, and forcible displacement on a huge scale, with ethnic cleansing added to the list of official war objectives." B'Teslem's statement follows the ludicrous denial by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there was a starvation problem in Gaza, that somehow the images of skeletal children had been faked. Not even Israel's most ardent supporter Donald Trump bought that falsehood. And our own PM said the Israeli denial of starvation was "beyond comprehension". Better late than never, but finally the scales are dropping from the eyes of Israel's allies, whose past criticism of the conduct of the war has been frustratingly insipid. I'd not been planning on writing about the Gaza situation but that changed yesterday when an email dropped into the Echidna inbox, titled "Genocide for beginners". Unsolicited and unrelated to Monday's topic, it argued that based on an outdated figure of 42,000 deaths since October 7, 2023 - Gaza officials claim the number of deaths is now 62,000 - Israel wasn't committing genocide. "The Gaza Strip in 2023 had an estimated population of 2.1 million. That means that in one full year of committing genocide in Gaza, the Israelis have managed to kill only 2 per cent of the population. Israel possesses one of the most powerful armed forces in the world. Gaza is a densely populated urban area, with virtually no air defences. Yet Israel has managed to kill only 42,000 people in a full year of committing genocide." The author's calculus was grotesque: "It does seem strange that the Israelis, who have themselves, within living memory, experienced an attempted genocide, and who ought to be very clear about how to commit genocide, have proved so completely incompetent at committing genocide in Gaza." If its intent was to excuse Israel's conduct of the war, it failed miserably, just as Netanyahu's denial of starvation did. I'll leave the definition of genocide and war crimes to the experts, like the International Court of Justice, which last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, who'll never face court for his role in the October 7 atrocities because he was killed before the warrant was issued. In the meantime, B'Tselem deserves applause for its courage in calling out its own government. That takes real guts, especially in a time of war. HAVE YOUR SAY: Has there been enough pressure on Israel to recognise its conduct of the war in Gaza is unacceptable? What was your reaction to Netanyahu's claim there was no starvation problem in Gaza? Does our government's sanctioning of two right-wing Israeli ministers send a strong enough message or should those sanctions be widened? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Some customers at Australia's major banks will be refunded a combined total of $60 million after being charged excessive fees by the financial institutions. - A Sydney childcare centre has admitted to taping toddlers' mouths shut as part of a controversial "breathwork exercise". - The operator of the Ruby Princess cruise ship that embarked just as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the globe will remain liable to pay passengers impacted by the virus after a failed appeal. THEY SAID IT: "Genocide is not just a murderous madness; it is, more deeply, a politics that promises a utopia beyond politics - one people, one land, one truth, the end of difference." - Michael Ignatieff YOU SAID IT: Barnaby Joyce's doomed bid to cancel net zero climate targets confirms his slide off the political planter box. "Joyce, a small town accountant, a philanderer and a boofhead," writes Lai. "All hat and no cattle was the derogatory way we young drovers described the posers wearing RM boots, tweed sports coats and moleskin trousers. Joyce all over." Maggie writes: "As his constituent, I have often been in anguish over Barnaby's actions. Just now I'm smiling. Go, Barnaby! Keep the Coalition roiling! You're doing a great job!" "Quite apart from the fact, as you say, that we want more happening on climate change, the stupidity of Barnaby's idea is that his farming members want open markets to trade into," writes Gerry. "The UN now has Sustainable Development Goals which all trading partners must comply with in the future. His bizarre idea will compromise the very efforts of his farmer members if we have no climate focus." Terry writes: "Barnaby and his mates are extremely right-wing conservatives. Let them sing from the treetops. The Labor Party moved from the far left to the centre left some years ago. The Liberal Party is trying to move to the centre right but it's not an easy transition. Let's hope that they succeed. In the meantime, just continue to support progressive, centre of the road parties that acknowledge what's going on around us and are prepared to act. In the meantime, Barnaby should find a comfortable park bench and have a kip." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to The words are what you'd expect from a speaker at a pro-Palestinian rally. Or a father whose family has just been killed in an airstrike. "Israel is taking co-ordinated, deliberate action to destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip. In other words: Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip." But the words come from inside Israel, from B'Tselem, the country's leading human rights organisation. Under the heading OUR GENOCIDE in large black type on its website, is one of the strongest condemnations of the conduct of the war so far. Written by Israelis, addressed to Israelis, it is courageous and cutting, adding to the chorus of opprobrium levelled at Israel after harrowing images of starving children have been broadcast around the world. "Its military onslaught on Gaza, under way for more than 21 months, has included mass killing, both directly and through creating unlivable conditions, serious bodily or mental harm to an entire population, decimation of basic infrastructure throughout the Strip, and forcible displacement on a huge scale, with ethnic cleansing added to the list of official war objectives." B'Teslem's statement follows the ludicrous denial by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there was a starvation problem in Gaza, that somehow the images of skeletal children had been faked. Not even Israel's most ardent supporter Donald Trump bought that falsehood. And our own PM said the Israeli denial of starvation was "beyond comprehension". Better late than never, but finally the scales are dropping from the eyes of Israel's allies, whose past criticism of the conduct of the war has been frustratingly insipid. I'd not been planning on writing about the Gaza situation but that changed yesterday when an email dropped into the Echidna inbox, titled "Genocide for beginners". Unsolicited and unrelated to Monday's topic, it argued that based on an outdated figure of 42,000 deaths since October 7, 2023 - Gaza officials claim the number of deaths is now 62,000 - Israel wasn't committing genocide. "The Gaza Strip in 2023 had an estimated population of 2.1 million. That means that in one full year of committing genocide in Gaza, the Israelis have managed to kill only 2 per cent of the population. Israel possesses one of the most powerful armed forces in the world. Gaza is a densely populated urban area, with virtually no air defences. Yet Israel has managed to kill only 42,000 people in a full year of committing genocide." The author's calculus was grotesque: "It does seem strange that the Israelis, who have themselves, within living memory, experienced an attempted genocide, and who ought to be very clear about how to commit genocide, have proved so completely incompetent at committing genocide in Gaza." If its intent was to excuse Israel's conduct of the war, it failed miserably, just as Netanyahu's denial of starvation did. I'll leave the definition of genocide and war crimes to the experts, like the International Court of Justice, which last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Deif, who'll never face court for his role in the October 7 atrocities because he was killed before the warrant was issued. In the meantime, B'Tselem deserves applause for its courage in calling out its own government. That takes real guts, especially in a time of war. HAVE YOUR SAY: Has there been enough pressure on Israel to recognise its conduct of the war in Gaza is unacceptable? What was your reaction to Netanyahu's claim there was no starvation problem in Gaza? Does our government's sanctioning of two right-wing Israeli ministers send a strong enough message or should those sanctions be widened? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Some customers at Australia's major banks will be refunded a combined total of $60 million after being charged excessive fees by the financial institutions. - A Sydney childcare centre has admitted to taping toddlers' mouths shut as part of a controversial "breathwork exercise". - The operator of the Ruby Princess cruise ship that embarked just as the COVID-19 pandemic gripped the globe will remain liable to pay passengers impacted by the virus after a failed appeal. THEY SAID IT: "Genocide is not just a murderous madness; it is, more deeply, a politics that promises a utopia beyond politics - one people, one land, one truth, the end of difference." - Michael Ignatieff YOU SAID IT: Barnaby Joyce's doomed bid to cancel net zero climate targets confirms his slide off the political planter box. "Joyce, a small town accountant, a philanderer and a boofhead," writes Lai. "All hat and no cattle was the derogatory way we young drovers described the posers wearing RM boots, tweed sports coats and moleskin trousers. Joyce all over." Maggie writes: "As his constituent, I have often been in anguish over Barnaby's actions. Just now I'm smiling. Go, Barnaby! Keep the Coalition roiling! You're doing a great job!" "Quite apart from the fact, as you say, that we want more happening on climate change, the stupidity of Barnaby's idea is that his farming members want open markets to trade into," writes Gerry. "The UN now has Sustainable Development Goals which all trading partners must comply with in the future. His bizarre idea will compromise the very efforts of his farmer members if we have no climate focus." Terry writes: "Barnaby and his mates are extremely right-wing conservatives. Let them sing from the treetops. The Labor Party moved from the far left to the centre left some years ago. The Liberal Party is trying to move to the centre right but it's not an easy transition. Let's hope that they succeed. In the meantime, just continue to support progressive, centre of the road parties that acknowledge what's going on around us and are prepared to act. In the meantime, Barnaby should find a comfortable park bench and have a kip."
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
The golden age Trump regrets ushering in
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to There's been a lot of weeping in this household lately. Tears have flowed freely, paroxysms have been exhausting. It's not grief or sorrow causing the run on tissues, nor the cutting of onions. It's been laughter. Gales of it. Laughter so hard, it reddens the eyes and makes breathing difficult. And it's all down to Donald Trump and the new golden age he's ushered in. American comedy is back, baby, and with a vengeance. In its sights, the most thin-skinned, thick-headed president in memory. The late-night chat show hosts are taking him apart, especially since CBS, owned by Paramount Global, committed the ultimate act of self-harm by cancelling Stephen Colbert. Colbert, who will remain on air until next May, told his audience the gloves were now off. On live TV, he told Donald Trump, whose administration had to sign off on a planned merger with Skydance, to "Go f*** yourself." It was delivered with the exquisite comic timing for which Colbert is famous. Responding to a gloating Trump post - "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings" - Colbert stared down the camera. "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? [Pause] Go f*** yourself." His one-time co-host Jon Stewart of The Daily Show didn't hold back either. In an expletive-laden rant, he ripped into the cowardice of American corporations and institutions cowing to Trump's bullying. But all that seems like ancient history. The late-night crew has been handed truckloads of material, all thanks to Trump's cack-handed and so far unsuccessful attempts to divert attention from the exhumed Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Newcomer to the rotating The Daily Show's lineup, Josh Johnson made a meal of the story that won't go away. He took aim at House of Reps Speaker Mike Johnson for dismissing the House early. "Do you understand that they cleared Congress out for the summer like they found a dookie in the pool?" No points for guessing what a "dookie" is. As for Trump accusing Barack Obama of treason: "The problem with this distraction is that it's so old, Jeffrey Epstein wouldn't date it." Johnson's right, of course. Trump's been pathologically obsessed with Obama for decades. Even the animated Millennial favourite South Park has joined the chorus of ridicule, infuriating the White House and its head honcho. The first episode of its 27th season featured a naked and clearly under-endowed Trump jumping into bed with Satan. The president's vision of a new golden age didn't include comedy and satire, which has stepped into to fill an expanding void of commentary abandoned by the once powerful newspapers like The Washington Post. Comics and cartoonists - Broelman and Pope, take a bow - speak more than truth to power, even if Jon Stewart insists the late-night comedians satirising the news only speak opinions to television cameras. They have a way of speaking it to idiocy and hypocrisy as well. We can expect an unconstrained Stephen Colbert to do that even more forcefully than he has been. We'll laugh, and the sleepless Donald Trump will rage and fume on Truth Social, providing the comedian with mountains of fresh material to work with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is humour in politics? Who are your favourite comedians, cartoonists and satirists? Have your opinions on an issue ever been shaped by cartoons or comedy sketches? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Rural communities will have fewer banking services as Bendigo Bank moves to wind down its agency model and step up e-banking across regional Australia. - Australia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS for the next half-century as US devotion to the trilateral security pact wavers. - Workers could eventually be $14,000 a year better off if an upcoming roundtable is successful, Australia's productivity tsar says, as competing interests draw battle lines over the summit's priorities. THEY SAID IT: "People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House." - Robin Williams YOU SAID IT: Garry is mystified by a growing reluctance, especially among young Australians, to cook their own food. "We still cook 90 per cent of the time," writes Lee. "However, when I find something easy that we like, I print off the recipe and put it in a folder so I can access it again easily. I have raised five boys (all millennials, three with partners). They do most of the cooking in their families. I started teaching them to cook meals when they turned 10, and by 12, they were required to cook a meal one night per week. And it had to have veggies. This strategy worked a treat." Maria writes: "The 10 years or so between our ages must have created equal opportunity classes. In my day, girls were taught Home Ec, and boys did Woodwork! But as for me, it still didn't stir in me a love of cooking - in fact, you'll find my husband in the kitchen more often! And he learned from his mum, not at school." "I've worked to nine to 10-hour days most of my life, so some days I really don't feel like cooking a meal when I get home, but I also try to eat healthily," writes Stephanie. "Many years ago, I started making big batches of pre-cooked meals based around a bolognese sauce. It costs around $3 a serve and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to There's been a lot of weeping in this household lately. Tears have flowed freely, paroxysms have been exhausting. It's not grief or sorrow causing the run on tissues, nor the cutting of onions. It's been laughter. Gales of it. Laughter so hard, it reddens the eyes and makes breathing difficult. And it's all down to Donald Trump and the new golden age he's ushered in. American comedy is back, baby, and with a vengeance. In its sights, the most thin-skinned, thick-headed president in memory. The late-night chat show hosts are taking him apart, especially since CBS, owned by Paramount Global, committed the ultimate act of self-harm by cancelling Stephen Colbert. Colbert, who will remain on air until next May, told his audience the gloves were now off. On live TV, he told Donald Trump, whose administration had to sign off on a planned merger with Skydance, to "Go f*** yourself." It was delivered with the exquisite comic timing for which Colbert is famous. Responding to a gloating Trump post - "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings" - Colbert stared down the camera. "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? [Pause] Go f*** yourself." His one-time co-host Jon Stewart of The Daily Show didn't hold back either. In an expletive-laden rant, he ripped into the cowardice of American corporations and institutions cowing to Trump's bullying. But all that seems like ancient history. The late-night crew has been handed truckloads of material, all thanks to Trump's cack-handed and so far unsuccessful attempts to divert attention from the exhumed Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Newcomer to the rotating The Daily Show's lineup, Josh Johnson made a meal of the story that won't go away. He took aim at House of Reps Speaker Mike Johnson for dismissing the House early. "Do you understand that they cleared Congress out for the summer like they found a dookie in the pool?" No points for guessing what a "dookie" is. As for Trump accusing Barack Obama of treason: "The problem with this distraction is that it's so old, Jeffrey Epstein wouldn't date it." Johnson's right, of course. Trump's been pathologically obsessed with Obama for decades. Even the animated Millennial favourite South Park has joined the chorus of ridicule, infuriating the White House and its head honcho. The first episode of its 27th season featured a naked and clearly under-endowed Trump jumping into bed with Satan. The president's vision of a new golden age didn't include comedy and satire, which has stepped into to fill an expanding void of commentary abandoned by the once powerful newspapers like The Washington Post. Comics and cartoonists - Broelman and Pope, take a bow - speak more than truth to power, even if Jon Stewart insists the late-night comedians satirising the news only speak opinions to television cameras. They have a way of speaking it to idiocy and hypocrisy as well. We can expect an unconstrained Stephen Colbert to do that even more forcefully than he has been. We'll laugh, and the sleepless Donald Trump will rage and fume on Truth Social, providing the comedian with mountains of fresh material to work with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is humour in politics? Who are your favourite comedians, cartoonists and satirists? Have your opinions on an issue ever been shaped by cartoons or comedy sketches? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Rural communities will have fewer banking services as Bendigo Bank moves to wind down its agency model and step up e-banking across regional Australia. - Australia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS for the next half-century as US devotion to the trilateral security pact wavers. - Workers could eventually be $14,000 a year better off if an upcoming roundtable is successful, Australia's productivity tsar says, as competing interests draw battle lines over the summit's priorities. THEY SAID IT: "People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House." - Robin Williams YOU SAID IT: Garry is mystified by a growing reluctance, especially among young Australians, to cook their own food. "We still cook 90 per cent of the time," writes Lee. "However, when I find something easy that we like, I print off the recipe and put it in a folder so I can access it again easily. I have raised five boys (all millennials, three with partners). They do most of the cooking in their families. I started teaching them to cook meals when they turned 10, and by 12, they were required to cook a meal one night per week. And it had to have veggies. This strategy worked a treat." Maria writes: "The 10 years or so between our ages must have created equal opportunity classes. In my day, girls were taught Home Ec, and boys did Woodwork! But as for me, it still didn't stir in me a love of cooking - in fact, you'll find my husband in the kitchen more often! And he learned from his mum, not at school." "I've worked to nine to 10-hour days most of my life, so some days I really don't feel like cooking a meal when I get home, but I also try to eat healthily," writes Stephanie. "Many years ago, I started making big batches of pre-cooked meals based around a bolognese sauce. It costs around $3 a serve and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to There's been a lot of weeping in this household lately. Tears have flowed freely, paroxysms have been exhausting. It's not grief or sorrow causing the run on tissues, nor the cutting of onions. It's been laughter. Gales of it. Laughter so hard, it reddens the eyes and makes breathing difficult. And it's all down to Donald Trump and the new golden age he's ushered in. American comedy is back, baby, and with a vengeance. In its sights, the most thin-skinned, thick-headed president in memory. The late-night chat show hosts are taking him apart, especially since CBS, owned by Paramount Global, committed the ultimate act of self-harm by cancelling Stephen Colbert. Colbert, who will remain on air until next May, told his audience the gloves were now off. On live TV, he told Donald Trump, whose administration had to sign off on a planned merger with Skydance, to "Go f*** yourself." It was delivered with the exquisite comic timing for which Colbert is famous. Responding to a gloating Trump post - "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings" - Colbert stared down the camera. "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? [Pause] Go f*** yourself." His one-time co-host Jon Stewart of The Daily Show didn't hold back either. In an expletive-laden rant, he ripped into the cowardice of American corporations and institutions cowing to Trump's bullying. But all that seems like ancient history. The late-night crew has been handed truckloads of material, all thanks to Trump's cack-handed and so far unsuccessful attempts to divert attention from the exhumed Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Newcomer to the rotating The Daily Show's lineup, Josh Johnson made a meal of the story that won't go away. He took aim at House of Reps Speaker Mike Johnson for dismissing the House early. "Do you understand that they cleared Congress out for the summer like they found a dookie in the pool?" No points for guessing what a "dookie" is. As for Trump accusing Barack Obama of treason: "The problem with this distraction is that it's so old, Jeffrey Epstein wouldn't date it." Johnson's right, of course. Trump's been pathologically obsessed with Obama for decades. Even the animated Millennial favourite South Park has joined the chorus of ridicule, infuriating the White House and its head honcho. The first episode of its 27th season featured a naked and clearly under-endowed Trump jumping into bed with Satan. The president's vision of a new golden age didn't include comedy and satire, which has stepped into to fill an expanding void of commentary abandoned by the once powerful newspapers like The Washington Post. Comics and cartoonists - Broelman and Pope, take a bow - speak more than truth to power, even if Jon Stewart insists the late-night comedians satirising the news only speak opinions to television cameras. They have a way of speaking it to idiocy and hypocrisy as well. We can expect an unconstrained Stephen Colbert to do that even more forcefully than he has been. We'll laugh, and the sleepless Donald Trump will rage and fume on Truth Social, providing the comedian with mountains of fresh material to work with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is humour in politics? Who are your favourite comedians, cartoonists and satirists? Have your opinions on an issue ever been shaped by cartoons or comedy sketches? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Rural communities will have fewer banking services as Bendigo Bank moves to wind down its agency model and step up e-banking across regional Australia. - Australia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS for the next half-century as US devotion to the trilateral security pact wavers. - Workers could eventually be $14,000 a year better off if an upcoming roundtable is successful, Australia's productivity tsar says, as competing interests draw battle lines over the summit's priorities. THEY SAID IT: "People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House." - Robin Williams YOU SAID IT: Garry is mystified by a growing reluctance, especially among young Australians, to cook their own food. "We still cook 90 per cent of the time," writes Lee. "However, when I find something easy that we like, I print off the recipe and put it in a folder so I can access it again easily. I have raised five boys (all millennials, three with partners). They do most of the cooking in their families. I started teaching them to cook meals when they turned 10, and by 12, they were required to cook a meal one night per week. And it had to have veggies. This strategy worked a treat." Maria writes: "The 10 years or so between our ages must have created equal opportunity classes. In my day, girls were taught Home Ec, and boys did Woodwork! But as for me, it still didn't stir in me a love of cooking - in fact, you'll find my husband in the kitchen more often! And he learned from his mum, not at school." "I've worked to nine to 10-hour days most of my life, so some days I really don't feel like cooking a meal when I get home, but I also try to eat healthily," writes Stephanie. "Many years ago, I started making big batches of pre-cooked meals based around a bolognese sauce. It costs around $3 a serve and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to There's been a lot of weeping in this household lately. Tears have flowed freely, paroxysms have been exhausting. It's not grief or sorrow causing the run on tissues, nor the cutting of onions. It's been laughter. Gales of it. Laughter so hard, it reddens the eyes and makes breathing difficult. And it's all down to Donald Trump and the new golden age he's ushered in. American comedy is back, baby, and with a vengeance. In its sights, the most thin-skinned, thick-headed president in memory. The late-night chat show hosts are taking him apart, especially since CBS, owned by Paramount Global, committed the ultimate act of self-harm by cancelling Stephen Colbert. Colbert, who will remain on air until next May, told his audience the gloves were now off. On live TV, he told Donald Trump, whose administration had to sign off on a planned merger with Skydance, to "Go f*** yourself." It was delivered with the exquisite comic timing for which Colbert is famous. Responding to a gloating Trump post - "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings" - Colbert stared down the camera. "How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? [Pause] Go f*** yourself." His one-time co-host Jon Stewart of The Daily Show didn't hold back either. In an expletive-laden rant, he ripped into the cowardice of American corporations and institutions cowing to Trump's bullying. But all that seems like ancient history. The late-night crew has been handed truckloads of material, all thanks to Trump's cack-handed and so far unsuccessful attempts to divert attention from the exhumed Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Newcomer to the rotating The Daily Show's lineup, Josh Johnson made a meal of the story that won't go away. He took aim at House of Reps Speaker Mike Johnson for dismissing the House early. "Do you understand that they cleared Congress out for the summer like they found a dookie in the pool?" No points for guessing what a "dookie" is. As for Trump accusing Barack Obama of treason: "The problem with this distraction is that it's so old, Jeffrey Epstein wouldn't date it." Johnson's right, of course. Trump's been pathologically obsessed with Obama for decades. Even the animated Millennial favourite South Park has joined the chorus of ridicule, infuriating the White House and its head honcho. The first episode of its 27th season featured a naked and clearly under-endowed Trump jumping into bed with Satan. The president's vision of a new golden age didn't include comedy and satire, which has stepped into to fill an expanding void of commentary abandoned by the once powerful newspapers like The Washington Post. Comics and cartoonists - Broelman and Pope, take a bow - speak more than truth to power, even if Jon Stewart insists the late-night comedians satirising the news only speak opinions to television cameras. They have a way of speaking it to idiocy and hypocrisy as well. We can expect an unconstrained Stephen Colbert to do that even more forcefully than he has been. We'll laugh, and the sleepless Donald Trump will rage and fume on Truth Social, providing the comedian with mountains of fresh material to work with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is humour in politics? Who are your favourite comedians, cartoonists and satirists? Have your opinions on an issue ever been shaped by cartoons or comedy sketches? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Rural communities will have fewer banking services as Bendigo Bank moves to wind down its agency model and step up e-banking across regional Australia. - Australia and the United Kingdom have reaffirmed their commitment to AUKUS for the next half-century as US devotion to the trilateral security pact wavers. - Workers could eventually be $14,000 a year better off if an upcoming roundtable is successful, Australia's productivity tsar says, as competing interests draw battle lines over the summit's priorities. THEY SAID IT: "People say satire is dead. It's not dead; it's alive and living in the White House." - Robin Williams YOU SAID IT: Garry is mystified by a growing reluctance, especially among young Australians, to cook their own food. "We still cook 90 per cent of the time," writes Lee. "However, when I find something easy that we like, I print off the recipe and put it in a folder so I can access it again easily. I have raised five boys (all millennials, three with partners). They do most of the cooking in their families. I started teaching them to cook meals when they turned 10, and by 12, they were required to cook a meal one night per week. And it had to have veggies. This strategy worked a treat." Maria writes: "The 10 years or so between our ages must have created equal opportunity classes. In my day, girls were taught Home Ec, and boys did Woodwork! But as for me, it still didn't stir in me a love of cooking - in fact, you'll find my husband in the kitchen more often! And he learned from his mum, not at school." "I've worked to nine to 10-hour days most of my life, so some days I really don't feel like cooking a meal when I get home, but I also try to eat healthily," writes Stephanie. "Many years ago, I started making big batches of pre-cooked meals based around a bolognese sauce. It costs around $3 a serve and is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes."
The Advertiser
6 days ago
- The Advertiser
Horizons narrow for ill-at-ease US travellers
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to It was hard not to feel for the American couple seated behind us in the long-tail boat off the Thai coast. A chatty Englishman was doing his best to strike up a conversation and it was immediately apparent they wanted none of it, especially when he asked where they were from. We could sense their self-consciousness as they muttered their answer. The Englishman said he'd love to go there but it would be avoiding the US for another four years "because of what's been happening". The quiet Americans fell silent. They might have been naturally reticent about answering questions from a complete stranger. Or embarrassed by the never-ending drama of the White House reality TV show. Or Trump supporters, tired of defending their president. We'll never know. But during their moment of awkwardness it occurred to me that being an American abroad these days would be challenging when so much of the world is appalled by the behaviour of Donald Trump and the sycophants gathered around him - and people you meet are not afraid to tell you so. That could partly explain the 7 per cent decline in Americans planning to travel to Europe this northern summer, as reported by the European Travel Commission. While the ETC said concern about the cost of travel during a period of economic uncertainty was a factor, "worries about being negatively perceived overseas under Trump's confrontational foreign policy" also played a role. The ETC found Americans from Democrat-leaning states were more comfortable about travelling to Europe than those from Republican parts of the country. And it's not just Europe. An Ipsos Consumer Tracker survey published in May found that 27 per cent of Americans report they have international travel plans in the works for summer 2025 compared to 34 per cent last year. And if Americans are dialling back their international travel plans, the rest of the world is giving the US a wide berth as well. Canada leads the pack when it comes to avoiding its querulous southern neighbour. It normally accounts for the largest number of visitors to the US during the northern summer. Last year, 20 million Canadians visited. This year, the number of border crossings by car is down by a third and visits by air are also tanking. Britons and Germans are also turning their backs on the US as a destination. Australians are also thinking twice about US trips. Last year, the US was our fifth most popular destination; this year it's slipped to seventh position. The unfavourable exchange rate no doubt weighs heavily but stories about heavy-handed treatment at the border haven't helped either. The self-imposed isolation the US is undergoing is regrettable, undermining the long-held notion that travel broadens the mind. I wonder where those two Americans in the long-tail boat are now. And whether their minds were broadened by their experiences in a foreign land, where smiling is good manners and respect ingrained. Hopefully, they shared those values when they got home. HAVE YOUR SAY: Would you be embarrassed if you were an American travelling overseas in 2025? Do you know any Americans who feel shame at the direction their country is taking? And if you're one of Echidna's handful of American readers, have you changed your international travel plans? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Nationals leader David Littleproud has revealed he is "definitely" willing to flip the party's support for a 2050 net-zero emissions target as he accuses the renewable rollout of "tearing families apart" across regional communities. - The Albanese government is seeking to expand the powers of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to kick MPs out of the chamber if they misbehave and reduce the number of questions Coalition members get during question time. - A group of right-wing senators who turned their backs during an Acknowledgement of Country inside the Federal Parliament have been sharply criticised. THEY SAID IT: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine YOU SAID IT: There are compelling arguments to lower the voting age to 16. But there are also compelling reasons not to. Mark supports the idea: "The young adults of today do inherit the outcomes of government policy; they do work and pay taxes, they tend to care more about the environment on balance than older people, they tend to care more about love and issues like the treatment of refugees. If they get it right then it has the potential to make change in the political landscape." Not Murray, who suggests: "If they honestly want to improve politics they should raise the voting age to 30." Patricia writes: "A massive yes to civics education, although I prefer the term involvement. Having campaigned for community independents, I have seen the enthusiasm of people who realise they can become part of the political process. Even one-off community action, writing to or meeting with local representatives is a learning and empowering experience. People shouldn't feel that they can tick a box, walk away then complain about issues and do nothing." "When the question of voting at 16 was raised with my kids, the 18- and 10-year-old opposed it vehemently because 'they don't know enough' and the 16-year-old thought she would like to be able to vote, but 'not everyone else because they're idiots'," writes Wendy. This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to It was hard not to feel for the American couple seated behind us in the long-tail boat off the Thai coast. A chatty Englishman was doing his best to strike up a conversation and it was immediately apparent they wanted none of it, especially when he asked where they were from. We could sense their self-consciousness as they muttered their answer. The Englishman said he'd love to go there but it would be avoiding the US for another four years "because of what's been happening". The quiet Americans fell silent. They might have been naturally reticent about answering questions from a complete stranger. Or embarrassed by the never-ending drama of the White House reality TV show. Or Trump supporters, tired of defending their president. We'll never know. But during their moment of awkwardness it occurred to me that being an American abroad these days would be challenging when so much of the world is appalled by the behaviour of Donald Trump and the sycophants gathered around him - and people you meet are not afraid to tell you so. That could partly explain the 7 per cent decline in Americans planning to travel to Europe this northern summer, as reported by the European Travel Commission. While the ETC said concern about the cost of travel during a period of economic uncertainty was a factor, "worries about being negatively perceived overseas under Trump's confrontational foreign policy" also played a role. The ETC found Americans from Democrat-leaning states were more comfortable about travelling to Europe than those from Republican parts of the country. And it's not just Europe. An Ipsos Consumer Tracker survey published in May found that 27 per cent of Americans report they have international travel plans in the works for summer 2025 compared to 34 per cent last year. And if Americans are dialling back their international travel plans, the rest of the world is giving the US a wide berth as well. Canada leads the pack when it comes to avoiding its querulous southern neighbour. It normally accounts for the largest number of visitors to the US during the northern summer. Last year, 20 million Canadians visited. This year, the number of border crossings by car is down by a third and visits by air are also tanking. Britons and Germans are also turning their backs on the US as a destination. Australians are also thinking twice about US trips. Last year, the US was our fifth most popular destination; this year it's slipped to seventh position. The unfavourable exchange rate no doubt weighs heavily but stories about heavy-handed treatment at the border haven't helped either. The self-imposed isolation the US is undergoing is regrettable, undermining the long-held notion that travel broadens the mind. I wonder where those two Americans in the long-tail boat are now. And whether their minds were broadened by their experiences in a foreign land, where smiling is good manners and respect ingrained. Hopefully, they shared those values when they got home. HAVE YOUR SAY: Would you be embarrassed if you were an American travelling overseas in 2025? Do you know any Americans who feel shame at the direction their country is taking? And if you're one of Echidna's handful of American readers, have you changed your international travel plans? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Nationals leader David Littleproud has revealed he is "definitely" willing to flip the party's support for a 2050 net-zero emissions target as he accuses the renewable rollout of "tearing families apart" across regional communities. - The Albanese government is seeking to expand the powers of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to kick MPs out of the chamber if they misbehave and reduce the number of questions Coalition members get during question time. - A group of right-wing senators who turned their backs during an Acknowledgement of Country inside the Federal Parliament have been sharply criticised. THEY SAID IT: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine YOU SAID IT: There are compelling arguments to lower the voting age to 16. But there are also compelling reasons not to. Mark supports the idea: "The young adults of today do inherit the outcomes of government policy; they do work and pay taxes, they tend to care more about the environment on balance than older people, they tend to care more about love and issues like the treatment of refugees. If they get it right then it has the potential to make change in the political landscape." Not Murray, who suggests: "If they honestly want to improve politics they should raise the voting age to 30." Patricia writes: "A massive yes to civics education, although I prefer the term involvement. Having campaigned for community independents, I have seen the enthusiasm of people who realise they can become part of the political process. Even one-off community action, writing to or meeting with local representatives is a learning and empowering experience. People shouldn't feel that they can tick a box, walk away then complain about issues and do nothing." "When the question of voting at 16 was raised with my kids, the 18- and 10-year-old opposed it vehemently because 'they don't know enough' and the 16-year-old thought she would like to be able to vote, but 'not everyone else because they're idiots'," writes Wendy. This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to It was hard not to feel for the American couple seated behind us in the long-tail boat off the Thai coast. A chatty Englishman was doing his best to strike up a conversation and it was immediately apparent they wanted none of it, especially when he asked where they were from. We could sense their self-consciousness as they muttered their answer. The Englishman said he'd love to go there but it would be avoiding the US for another four years "because of what's been happening". The quiet Americans fell silent. They might have been naturally reticent about answering questions from a complete stranger. Or embarrassed by the never-ending drama of the White House reality TV show. Or Trump supporters, tired of defending their president. We'll never know. But during their moment of awkwardness it occurred to me that being an American abroad these days would be challenging when so much of the world is appalled by the behaviour of Donald Trump and the sycophants gathered around him - and people you meet are not afraid to tell you so. That could partly explain the 7 per cent decline in Americans planning to travel to Europe this northern summer, as reported by the European Travel Commission. While the ETC said concern about the cost of travel during a period of economic uncertainty was a factor, "worries about being negatively perceived overseas under Trump's confrontational foreign policy" also played a role. The ETC found Americans from Democrat-leaning states were more comfortable about travelling to Europe than those from Republican parts of the country. And it's not just Europe. An Ipsos Consumer Tracker survey published in May found that 27 per cent of Americans report they have international travel plans in the works for summer 2025 compared to 34 per cent last year. And if Americans are dialling back their international travel plans, the rest of the world is giving the US a wide berth as well. Canada leads the pack when it comes to avoiding its querulous southern neighbour. It normally accounts for the largest number of visitors to the US during the northern summer. Last year, 20 million Canadians visited. This year, the number of border crossings by car is down by a third and visits by air are also tanking. Britons and Germans are also turning their backs on the US as a destination. Australians are also thinking twice about US trips. Last year, the US was our fifth most popular destination; this year it's slipped to seventh position. The unfavourable exchange rate no doubt weighs heavily but stories about heavy-handed treatment at the border haven't helped either. The self-imposed isolation the US is undergoing is regrettable, undermining the long-held notion that travel broadens the mind. I wonder where those two Americans in the long-tail boat are now. And whether their minds were broadened by their experiences in a foreign land, where smiling is good manners and respect ingrained. Hopefully, they shared those values when they got home. HAVE YOUR SAY: Would you be embarrassed if you were an American travelling overseas in 2025? Do you know any Americans who feel shame at the direction their country is taking? And if you're one of Echidna's handful of American readers, have you changed your international travel plans? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Nationals leader David Littleproud has revealed he is "definitely" willing to flip the party's support for a 2050 net-zero emissions target as he accuses the renewable rollout of "tearing families apart" across regional communities. - The Albanese government is seeking to expand the powers of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to kick MPs out of the chamber if they misbehave and reduce the number of questions Coalition members get during question time. - A group of right-wing senators who turned their backs during an Acknowledgement of Country inside the Federal Parliament have been sharply criticised. THEY SAID IT: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine YOU SAID IT: There are compelling arguments to lower the voting age to 16. But there are also compelling reasons not to. Mark supports the idea: "The young adults of today do inherit the outcomes of government policy; they do work and pay taxes, they tend to care more about the environment on balance than older people, they tend to care more about love and issues like the treatment of refugees. If they get it right then it has the potential to make change in the political landscape." Not Murray, who suggests: "If they honestly want to improve politics they should raise the voting age to 30." Patricia writes: "A massive yes to civics education, although I prefer the term involvement. Having campaigned for community independents, I have seen the enthusiasm of people who realise they can become part of the political process. Even one-off community action, writing to or meeting with local representatives is a learning and empowering experience. People shouldn't feel that they can tick a box, walk away then complain about issues and do nothing." "When the question of voting at 16 was raised with my kids, the 18- and 10-year-old opposed it vehemently because 'they don't know enough' and the 16-year-old thought she would like to be able to vote, but 'not everyone else because they're idiots'," writes Wendy. This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to It was hard not to feel for the American couple seated behind us in the long-tail boat off the Thai coast. A chatty Englishman was doing his best to strike up a conversation and it was immediately apparent they wanted none of it, especially when he asked where they were from. We could sense their self-consciousness as they muttered their answer. The Englishman said he'd love to go there but it would be avoiding the US for another four years "because of what's been happening". The quiet Americans fell silent. They might have been naturally reticent about answering questions from a complete stranger. Or embarrassed by the never-ending drama of the White House reality TV show. Or Trump supporters, tired of defending their president. We'll never know. But during their moment of awkwardness it occurred to me that being an American abroad these days would be challenging when so much of the world is appalled by the behaviour of Donald Trump and the sycophants gathered around him - and people you meet are not afraid to tell you so. That could partly explain the 7 per cent decline in Americans planning to travel to Europe this northern summer, as reported by the European Travel Commission. While the ETC said concern about the cost of travel during a period of economic uncertainty was a factor, "worries about being negatively perceived overseas under Trump's confrontational foreign policy" also played a role. The ETC found Americans from Democrat-leaning states were more comfortable about travelling to Europe than those from Republican parts of the country. And it's not just Europe. An Ipsos Consumer Tracker survey published in May found that 27 per cent of Americans report they have international travel plans in the works for summer 2025 compared to 34 per cent last year. And if Americans are dialling back their international travel plans, the rest of the world is giving the US a wide berth as well. Canada leads the pack when it comes to avoiding its querulous southern neighbour. It normally accounts for the largest number of visitors to the US during the northern summer. Last year, 20 million Canadians visited. This year, the number of border crossings by car is down by a third and visits by air are also tanking. Britons and Germans are also turning their backs on the US as a destination. Australians are also thinking twice about US trips. Last year, the US was our fifth most popular destination; this year it's slipped to seventh position. The unfavourable exchange rate no doubt weighs heavily but stories about heavy-handed treatment at the border haven't helped either. The self-imposed isolation the US is undergoing is regrettable, undermining the long-held notion that travel broadens the mind. I wonder where those two Americans in the long-tail boat are now. And whether their minds were broadened by their experiences in a foreign land, where smiling is good manners and respect ingrained. Hopefully, they shared those values when they got home. HAVE YOUR SAY: Would you be embarrassed if you were an American travelling overseas in 2025? Do you know any Americans who feel shame at the direction their country is taking? And if you're one of Echidna's handful of American readers, have you changed your international travel plans? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Nationals leader David Littleproud has revealed he is "definitely" willing to flip the party's support for a 2050 net-zero emissions target as he accuses the renewable rollout of "tearing families apart" across regional communities. - The Albanese government is seeking to expand the powers of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to kick MPs out of the chamber if they misbehave and reduce the number of questions Coalition members get during question time. - A group of right-wing senators who turned their backs during an Acknowledgement of Country inside the Federal Parliament have been sharply criticised. THEY SAID IT: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - Saint Augustine YOU SAID IT: There are compelling arguments to lower the voting age to 16. But there are also compelling reasons not to. Mark supports the idea: "The young adults of today do inherit the outcomes of government policy; they do work and pay taxes, they tend to care more about the environment on balance than older people, they tend to care more about love and issues like the treatment of refugees. If they get it right then it has the potential to make change in the political landscape." Not Murray, who suggests: "If they honestly want to improve politics they should raise the voting age to 30." Patricia writes: "A massive yes to civics education, although I prefer the term involvement. Having campaigned for community independents, I have seen the enthusiasm of people who realise they can become part of the political process. Even one-off community action, writing to or meeting with local representatives is a learning and empowering experience. People shouldn't feel that they can tick a box, walk away then complain about issues and do nothing." "When the question of voting at 16 was raised with my kids, the 18- and 10-year-old opposed it vehemently because 'they don't know enough' and the 16-year-old thought she would like to be able to vote, but 'not everyone else because they're idiots'," writes Wendy.
The Advertiser
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Beware of franchising the Snapchat generation
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to At 16, I knew everything. About history, politics, music, cars, motorbikes, life in general. Adulthood and its attendant right to drive, vote, and stay out late couldn't come fast enough for someone so confident in their own knowledge about the world around them. It finally arrived, legally at least, when I turned 18, just four years after the voting age was lowered in the first substantive legislative change enacted by the Whitlam government. And it was when adulthood arrived - and the law required me to vote in the 1977 federal election - that I realised I actually knew very little. About history, politics, music, cars, etc. The simple certainty of youthful me has been eroded ever since. The acquisition of knowledge is like that - the more you know, the more you realise you don't know. Which is why I'm ambivalent about the UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16. I can see both sides of the argument. Sixteen-year-olds can work and pay taxes. And it's their futures that will be affected by government policies. They can already vote for local representatives in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. On the other hand, as pointed out by the Tories who oppose the move, they can't drive, buy alcohol, marry or go to war. Nor can they stand as candidates. The law is likely to pass because of Labour's commanding majority, which will no doubt fuel calls for Australia to follow suit. But before we jump on the bandwagon, we should take note of one key difference. In the UK, 16-year-olds will not be compelled to vote. Here, it would be compulsory. In principle, fine. But in reality, a likely very different story. Earlier this year, national curriculum testing revealed knowledge of civics among young Australians was at its lowest level on record. A worrying percentage of Year 10 students struggled with basic concepts such as the three levels of government and the difference between a referendum and a general election. Add to that the large number of voters casting informal ballots at the last election. Gough Whitlam's old seat of Werriwa recorded the highest number of informal votes out of all electorates. We can assume some of those informal votes were intentional, but the vast majority would have been cast in error, meaning more than 17 per cent of voters in the seat denied themselves their democratic right. These were adults. Would tipping younger teenagers into the mix make matters worse? Probably not if civics were drummed into them as it was in the dark ages of my teen years. It might have been dry as dust, but rote learning about Parliament, the three different levels of government and the courts served us as well as mastering the times tables. Of course, back then there was no internet and no social media platforms roiling with disinformation and toxic ideology. There was a manosphere, but it was out in the open, expressed by "rock apes" as they were known, doing Friday night laps of Canberra's Civic centre in hotted-up EH Holdens. If the federal government can come up with an effective under-16 ban on social media, I'll be more comfortable with lowering the voting age. But until that happens, we're safer with the status quo. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? If so, should such a move be delayed until the under-16 social media ban comes into force? Should we be concerned about the large number of informal votes at this year's election? Do we need more compulsory civics education? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - The Reserve Bank of Australia was blindsided by a surprise jump in unemployment, a read-out of its shock rate-hold meeting has revealed. - Accused pedophile Joshua Dale Brown won't face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him. - Australia has decried Israel's "drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing" of civilians in Gaza as pro-Palestine protesters rally in the nation's capital on the first day of Parliament. THEY SAID IT: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt YOU SAID IT: As the cheating CEO and his HR executive have learned, it's foolish to misbehave in public with so many cameras about. Paddy remembers how his late father, a linesman working in Woolloomooloo, was caught after availing himself of a keg that had rolled off a brewery truck: "After a while, a crowd of wharfies, dogmen, sailors and passers-by assembled and started to help drink the keg. Believe it or not, they managed to have what would be called a block party today without Twitter or Instagram. A passing reporter snapped several photos of the afternoon's events and whisked them off to the Daily Telegraph." Paddy's dad was upbraided the next day by his boss. "His boss was furious. He ranted and raved at Dad. After about five minutes, he pointed to a phone box in the background of the photo and asked 'Don, why didn't you ring me? I could have used a beer yesterday!'" "About 20 years ago, there was an incident at the Oz Open tennis in Melbourne on Channel 7, which took the cake," writes Bill. The TV director was bored and had his cameras scanning the punters in the far top seats. Suddenly, there was a quick pan back. Yep - there was a young couple having sex on the top rung. The commentators saw it, made mention, and returned to the contest on the court." Lee writes: "I think the only camera that has 'caught' me is a speed camera sending me a fine for doing 55 in a 50 zone. I do feel very sorry for the families involved. They most likely didn't have a clue, and now the whole world knows. How horrible for them. They must be hurting badly." "People talk about poor judgment - but no one is talking about how wrong it is, in my view, to be publicly outed without consent," writes Mike. "That screen didn't just show faces; it blew up lives. He has two children and she has one child." Sue writes: "Everything is caught on camera, but even people who film everything they can seem to think that they are immune to being caught on camera themselves - until they are, and then they complain about a lack of privacy! Go figure!" This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to At 16, I knew everything. About history, politics, music, cars, motorbikes, life in general. Adulthood and its attendant right to drive, vote, and stay out late couldn't come fast enough for someone so confident in their own knowledge about the world around them. It finally arrived, legally at least, when I turned 18, just four years after the voting age was lowered in the first substantive legislative change enacted by the Whitlam government. And it was when adulthood arrived - and the law required me to vote in the 1977 federal election - that I realised I actually knew very little. About history, politics, music, cars, etc. The simple certainty of youthful me has been eroded ever since. The acquisition of knowledge is like that - the more you know, the more you realise you don't know. Which is why I'm ambivalent about the UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16. I can see both sides of the argument. Sixteen-year-olds can work and pay taxes. And it's their futures that will be affected by government policies. They can already vote for local representatives in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. On the other hand, as pointed out by the Tories who oppose the move, they can't drive, buy alcohol, marry or go to war. Nor can they stand as candidates. The law is likely to pass because of Labour's commanding majority, which will no doubt fuel calls for Australia to follow suit. But before we jump on the bandwagon, we should take note of one key difference. In the UK, 16-year-olds will not be compelled to vote. Here, it would be compulsory. In principle, fine. But in reality, a likely very different story. Earlier this year, national curriculum testing revealed knowledge of civics among young Australians was at its lowest level on record. A worrying percentage of Year 10 students struggled with basic concepts such as the three levels of government and the difference between a referendum and a general election. Add to that the large number of voters casting informal ballots at the last election. Gough Whitlam's old seat of Werriwa recorded the highest number of informal votes out of all electorates. We can assume some of those informal votes were intentional, but the vast majority would have been cast in error, meaning more than 17 per cent of voters in the seat denied themselves their democratic right. These were adults. Would tipping younger teenagers into the mix make matters worse? Probably not if civics were drummed into them as it was in the dark ages of my teen years. It might have been dry as dust, but rote learning about Parliament, the three different levels of government and the courts served us as well as mastering the times tables. Of course, back then there was no internet and no social media platforms roiling with disinformation and toxic ideology. There was a manosphere, but it was out in the open, expressed by "rock apes" as they were known, doing Friday night laps of Canberra's Civic centre in hotted-up EH Holdens. If the federal government can come up with an effective under-16 ban on social media, I'll be more comfortable with lowering the voting age. But until that happens, we're safer with the status quo. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? If so, should such a move be delayed until the under-16 social media ban comes into force? Should we be concerned about the large number of informal votes at this year's election? Do we need more compulsory civics education? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - The Reserve Bank of Australia was blindsided by a surprise jump in unemployment, a read-out of its shock rate-hold meeting has revealed. - Accused pedophile Joshua Dale Brown won't face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him. - Australia has decried Israel's "drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing" of civilians in Gaza as pro-Palestine protesters rally in the nation's capital on the first day of Parliament. THEY SAID IT: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt YOU SAID IT: As the cheating CEO and his HR executive have learned, it's foolish to misbehave in public with so many cameras about. Paddy remembers how his late father, a linesman working in Woolloomooloo, was caught after availing himself of a keg that had rolled off a brewery truck: "After a while, a crowd of wharfies, dogmen, sailors and passers-by assembled and started to help drink the keg. Believe it or not, they managed to have what would be called a block party today without Twitter or Instagram. A passing reporter snapped several photos of the afternoon's events and whisked them off to the Daily Telegraph." Paddy's dad was upbraided the next day by his boss. "His boss was furious. He ranted and raved at Dad. After about five minutes, he pointed to a phone box in the background of the photo and asked 'Don, why didn't you ring me? I could have used a beer yesterday!'" "About 20 years ago, there was an incident at the Oz Open tennis in Melbourne on Channel 7, which took the cake," writes Bill. The TV director was bored and had his cameras scanning the punters in the far top seats. Suddenly, there was a quick pan back. Yep - there was a young couple having sex on the top rung. The commentators saw it, made mention, and returned to the contest on the court." Lee writes: "I think the only camera that has 'caught' me is a speed camera sending me a fine for doing 55 in a 50 zone. I do feel very sorry for the families involved. They most likely didn't have a clue, and now the whole world knows. How horrible for them. They must be hurting badly." "People talk about poor judgment - but no one is talking about how wrong it is, in my view, to be publicly outed without consent," writes Mike. "That screen didn't just show faces; it blew up lives. He has two children and she has one child." Sue writes: "Everything is caught on camera, but even people who film everything they can seem to think that they are immune to being caught on camera themselves - until they are, and then they complain about a lack of privacy! Go figure!" This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to At 16, I knew everything. About history, politics, music, cars, motorbikes, life in general. Adulthood and its attendant right to drive, vote, and stay out late couldn't come fast enough for someone so confident in their own knowledge about the world around them. It finally arrived, legally at least, when I turned 18, just four years after the voting age was lowered in the first substantive legislative change enacted by the Whitlam government. And it was when adulthood arrived - and the law required me to vote in the 1977 federal election - that I realised I actually knew very little. About history, politics, music, cars, etc. The simple certainty of youthful me has been eroded ever since. The acquisition of knowledge is like that - the more you know, the more you realise you don't know. Which is why I'm ambivalent about the UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16. I can see both sides of the argument. Sixteen-year-olds can work and pay taxes. And it's their futures that will be affected by government policies. They can already vote for local representatives in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. On the other hand, as pointed out by the Tories who oppose the move, they can't drive, buy alcohol, marry or go to war. Nor can they stand as candidates. The law is likely to pass because of Labour's commanding majority, which will no doubt fuel calls for Australia to follow suit. But before we jump on the bandwagon, we should take note of one key difference. In the UK, 16-year-olds will not be compelled to vote. Here, it would be compulsory. In principle, fine. But in reality, a likely very different story. Earlier this year, national curriculum testing revealed knowledge of civics among young Australians was at its lowest level on record. A worrying percentage of Year 10 students struggled with basic concepts such as the three levels of government and the difference between a referendum and a general election. Add to that the large number of voters casting informal ballots at the last election. Gough Whitlam's old seat of Werriwa recorded the highest number of informal votes out of all electorates. We can assume some of those informal votes were intentional, but the vast majority would have been cast in error, meaning more than 17 per cent of voters in the seat denied themselves their democratic right. These were adults. Would tipping younger teenagers into the mix make matters worse? Probably not if civics were drummed into them as it was in the dark ages of my teen years. It might have been dry as dust, but rote learning about Parliament, the three different levels of government and the courts served us as well as mastering the times tables. Of course, back then there was no internet and no social media platforms roiling with disinformation and toxic ideology. There was a manosphere, but it was out in the open, expressed by "rock apes" as they were known, doing Friday night laps of Canberra's Civic centre in hotted-up EH Holdens. If the federal government can come up with an effective under-16 ban on social media, I'll be more comfortable with lowering the voting age. But until that happens, we're safer with the status quo. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? If so, should such a move be delayed until the under-16 social media ban comes into force? Should we be concerned about the large number of informal votes at this year's election? Do we need more compulsory civics education? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - The Reserve Bank of Australia was blindsided by a surprise jump in unemployment, a read-out of its shock rate-hold meeting has revealed. - Accused pedophile Joshua Dale Brown won't face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him. - Australia has decried Israel's "drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing" of civilians in Gaza as pro-Palestine protesters rally in the nation's capital on the first day of Parliament. THEY SAID IT: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt YOU SAID IT: As the cheating CEO and his HR executive have learned, it's foolish to misbehave in public with so many cameras about. Paddy remembers how his late father, a linesman working in Woolloomooloo, was caught after availing himself of a keg that had rolled off a brewery truck: "After a while, a crowd of wharfies, dogmen, sailors and passers-by assembled and started to help drink the keg. Believe it or not, they managed to have what would be called a block party today without Twitter or Instagram. A passing reporter snapped several photos of the afternoon's events and whisked them off to the Daily Telegraph." Paddy's dad was upbraided the next day by his boss. "His boss was furious. He ranted and raved at Dad. After about five minutes, he pointed to a phone box in the background of the photo and asked 'Don, why didn't you ring me? I could have used a beer yesterday!'" "About 20 years ago, there was an incident at the Oz Open tennis in Melbourne on Channel 7, which took the cake," writes Bill. The TV director was bored and had his cameras scanning the punters in the far top seats. Suddenly, there was a quick pan back. Yep - there was a young couple having sex on the top rung. The commentators saw it, made mention, and returned to the contest on the court." Lee writes: "I think the only camera that has 'caught' me is a speed camera sending me a fine for doing 55 in a 50 zone. I do feel very sorry for the families involved. They most likely didn't have a clue, and now the whole world knows. How horrible for them. They must be hurting badly." "People talk about poor judgment - but no one is talking about how wrong it is, in my view, to be publicly outed without consent," writes Mike. "That screen didn't just show faces; it blew up lives. He has two children and she has one child." Sue writes: "Everything is caught on camera, but even people who film everything they can seem to think that they are immune to being caught on camera themselves - until they are, and then they complain about a lack of privacy! Go figure!" This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to At 16, I knew everything. About history, politics, music, cars, motorbikes, life in general. Adulthood and its attendant right to drive, vote, and stay out late couldn't come fast enough for someone so confident in their own knowledge about the world around them. It finally arrived, legally at least, when I turned 18, just four years after the voting age was lowered in the first substantive legislative change enacted by the Whitlam government. And it was when adulthood arrived - and the law required me to vote in the 1977 federal election - that I realised I actually knew very little. About history, politics, music, cars, etc. The simple certainty of youthful me has been eroded ever since. The acquisition of knowledge is like that - the more you know, the more you realise you don't know. Which is why I'm ambivalent about the UK's decision to lower the voting age to 16. I can see both sides of the argument. Sixteen-year-olds can work and pay taxes. And it's their futures that will be affected by government policies. They can already vote for local representatives in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. On the other hand, as pointed out by the Tories who oppose the move, they can't drive, buy alcohol, marry or go to war. Nor can they stand as candidates. The law is likely to pass because of Labour's commanding majority, which will no doubt fuel calls for Australia to follow suit. But before we jump on the bandwagon, we should take note of one key difference. In the UK, 16-year-olds will not be compelled to vote. Here, it would be compulsory. In principle, fine. But in reality, a likely very different story. Earlier this year, national curriculum testing revealed knowledge of civics among young Australians was at its lowest level on record. A worrying percentage of Year 10 students struggled with basic concepts such as the three levels of government and the difference between a referendum and a general election. Add to that the large number of voters casting informal ballots at the last election. Gough Whitlam's old seat of Werriwa recorded the highest number of informal votes out of all electorates. We can assume some of those informal votes were intentional, but the vast majority would have been cast in error, meaning more than 17 per cent of voters in the seat denied themselves their democratic right. These were adults. Would tipping younger teenagers into the mix make matters worse? Probably not if civics were drummed into them as it was in the dark ages of my teen years. It might have been dry as dust, but rote learning about Parliament, the three different levels of government and the courts served us as well as mastering the times tables. Of course, back then there was no internet and no social media platforms roiling with disinformation and toxic ideology. There was a manosphere, but it was out in the open, expressed by "rock apes" as they were known, doing Friday night laps of Canberra's Civic centre in hotted-up EH Holdens. If the federal government can come up with an effective under-16 ban on social media, I'll be more comfortable with lowering the voting age. But until that happens, we're safer with the status quo. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should 16-year-olds be given the vote? If so, should such a move be delayed until the under-16 social media ban comes into force? Should we be concerned about the large number of informal votes at this year's election? Do we need more compulsory civics education? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - The Reserve Bank of Australia was blindsided by a surprise jump in unemployment, a read-out of its shock rate-hold meeting has revealed. - Accused pedophile Joshua Dale Brown won't face court again until next year, after a magistrate gave police more time to gather evidence against him. - Australia has decried Israel's "drip feeding of aid and inhumane killing" of civilians in Gaza as pro-Palestine protesters rally in the nation's capital on the first day of Parliament. THEY SAID IT: "Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education." - Franklin D. Roosevelt YOU SAID IT: As the cheating CEO and his HR executive have learned, it's foolish to misbehave in public with so many cameras about. Paddy remembers how his late father, a linesman working in Woolloomooloo, was caught after availing himself of a keg that had rolled off a brewery truck: "After a while, a crowd of wharfies, dogmen, sailors and passers-by assembled and started to help drink the keg. Believe it or not, they managed to have what would be called a block party today without Twitter or Instagram. A passing reporter snapped several photos of the afternoon's events and whisked them off to the Daily Telegraph." Paddy's dad was upbraided the next day by his boss. "His boss was furious. He ranted and raved at Dad. After about five minutes, he pointed to a phone box in the background of the photo and asked 'Don, why didn't you ring me? I could have used a beer yesterday!'" "About 20 years ago, there was an incident at the Oz Open tennis in Melbourne on Channel 7, which took the cake," writes Bill. The TV director was bored and had his cameras scanning the punters in the far top seats. Suddenly, there was a quick pan back. Yep - there was a young couple having sex on the top rung. The commentators saw it, made mention, and returned to the contest on the court." Lee writes: "I think the only camera that has 'caught' me is a speed camera sending me a fine for doing 55 in a 50 zone. I do feel very sorry for the families involved. They most likely didn't have a clue, and now the whole world knows. How horrible for them. They must be hurting badly." "People talk about poor judgment - but no one is talking about how wrong it is, in my view, to be publicly outed without consent," writes Mike. "That screen didn't just show faces; it blew up lives. He has two children and she has one child." Sue writes: "Everything is caught on camera, but even people who film everything they can seem to think that they are immune to being caught on camera themselves - until they are, and then they complain about a lack of privacy! Go figure!"
The Advertiser
18-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Why I've been up all night plotting revenge on Qantas
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I spent the night fantasising about catching the thief. I'd easily overpower him, of course. He wouldn't know what hit him. I'd smack him in the chops once or twice, truss him nice and tight with rope so rough it would leave burn marks and then call the cops. That's the nice thing about fantasies. Old blokes with dodgy backs and arthritic shoulders are transformed into expert kung fu practitioners with supernaturally fast reflexes. But as the evening wore on, the fantasy darkened. I'd delay that call to the police. First, I'd interrogate my whimpering victim. Make him squirm, even wet his pants. Find out where he lived. Promise I'd pay him another visit. Let him experience the vulnerability and fear he'd instilled in my daughter by stealing the spare keys and security swipe to her apartment. She'd rung me earlier in tears. She lives alone. A locksmith wasn't available until the following day, and she feared the sound of her door lock being jiggled during the night. So I spent that night at her place, sharing her sense of being violated and consumed with thoughts of revenge. The next da,y an email arrived from the CEO of Qantas, Vanessa Hudson, confirming I was among the 5.7 million Australians whose personal frequent flyer information had been compromised in yet another corporate data breach. Cue another sleepless night fantasising about vengeance. But this time it wouldn't just be the cyber criminals who hacked their way into a "third party platform" - a Qantas call centre in Manila - who would feel my wrath. Retribution would also be visited upon the entire corporate sector, whose negligence and penny-pinching continue leaving us exposed and vulnerable. Barely a week passes without a major company releasing another slickly worded, legally vetted hollow apology confirming customer identities are floating around the dark web, available for purchase to the highest bidder, all courtesy of a failure to implement tighter security measures. The latest Qantas breach isn't just another technical failure. It's symbolic of a wider rot that has crept into corporate culture - businesses refusing to grasp the obvious that investing heavily in robust encryption and state of the art security systems is a revenue-enhancing strategy, not a cost centre. Data protection builds trust. Trust builds loyalty. Loyalty builds repeat business. It's the equivalent of food safety in restaurants. Poison a customer? You'll be closed down. Allow a customer's data to be stolen? Brand damage, expensive class actions and millions spent on marketing campaigns to rehabilitate your image follows. How can businesses so focused on the bottom line not do their sums? And who else finds it ironic that at a time when consumers enjoy more power than ever - a critical or positive social media review can profoundly impact a business - we've never been treated more contemptuously? Companies crave our personal information. They've called it "the new oil" for years. But we have seen so many breaches and resulting inconvenience for customers that a growing number of big businesses now look more like reckless prospectors, mining customers for their data with no concern for the consequences. So here's what I've been fantasising about: governments, regulators and we - the customers - need to stop rewarding corporate complacency about data protection. Tougher penalties must be imposed on companies who leave customer information exposed or stolen because of lax security measures. Executives and their boards should have remuneration and bonuses tied to the level of digital security they provide. And it's more than time for governments to mandate tougher cybersecurity standards, not vaguely worded "best practice" measures that leave enormous wiggle room for businesses focused only on their bottom line. Qantas should know better. Once a company with strong and emotional community ties, its reputation was shredded under the final years of former CEO Alan Joyce because of an obsessive focus on profits and investors. Its email to millions of Australians showed it hasn't learned much. Almost half of it was devoted to a point-by-point lesson on how to "remain vigilant to any misuse of your personal information". Let me add another suggestion. Quit the Qantas frequent flyer program. It's promoted as a loyalty feature but is clearly nothing more than a shoddily protected data-mining exercise. It's one thing to have your keys stolen. It's another to leave your front door open to thieves. HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you suffered because your personal data was stolen? Have you stopped dealing with companies that misuse your information? Should tougher penalties be introduced to penalise businesses with lax cybersecurity measures? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Former federal Labor leader now NSW independent MP Mark Latham has been roundly condemned for allegedly photographing female MPs in the parliamentary chamber without their permission. - The jobless rate has risen to 4.3 per cent, surpassing expectations, as the number of unemployed Australians jumped. - A man has been charged with the theft of a car linked to several high profile violent incidents, including the alleged "politically motivated" firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue. THEY SAID IT: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and a few minutes of cyber-incident to ruin it." Stephane Nappo, French security expert. YOU SAID IT: It was a small act of rebellion John didn't realise he was committing when he wore a bright yellow parka on a gloomy city day. In a sea of black puffer jackets, he broke the strict winter dress code. "Be a mellow fellow in your yellow, John," writes David. "Donovan sang about 'Sunshine Superman', after all. Aside from the pleasant contrast with the dour, black puffer brigade, you are far less likely to be mown down in dismal light conditions. Adherence to fashion can be lethal. Remember when the silver/metallic grey hue was the only one available in cars? Well, mostly. The silver car against the grey road in a misty dawn/dusk, no lights of course, was always a gamble but, hell, gotta be hip." Maggie reports from Sydney's Central Station: "I can see four white or cream puffer jackets, two mauve (one male wearer, one female) a leopard pattern, a blue camouflage-type pattern - and yes, lots of black and dark blue." Vernon thinks winter is sombre enough without darkening it further with grim colours: "But its hard to find something colourful in the shops, so again fashion is forced upon us by the retailers and manufacturers." "I remember as kids in Melbourne my grandmother used to wear non-conformist clothing," writes Paul. "Bright floral patterns. We thought it was a little eccentric. She later would wear her nightie when watering the garden. In her final years in the aged care home she would be found swinging on the clothesline naked with another lady. But I'm sure you'll be fine. Thoughts and prayers for John, everyone." In defence of dark clothes, Chris points out that they absorb warmth when the sun is shining. And Heather writes: "Navy [and black] do not show the dirty marks they pick up on in public transport. And waterproof garments are much harder to clean than our regular clothes. Your bright yellow puffer jacket is great for country walks, but a few rides on our public transport system and it would not be so beautiful and yellow." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I spent the night fantasising about catching the thief. I'd easily overpower him, of course. He wouldn't know what hit him. I'd smack him in the chops once or twice, truss him nice and tight with rope so rough it would leave burn marks and then call the cops. That's the nice thing about fantasies. Old blokes with dodgy backs and arthritic shoulders are transformed into expert kung fu practitioners with supernaturally fast reflexes. But as the evening wore on, the fantasy darkened. I'd delay that call to the police. First, I'd interrogate my whimpering victim. Make him squirm, even wet his pants. Find out where he lived. Promise I'd pay him another visit. Let him experience the vulnerability and fear he'd instilled in my daughter by stealing the spare keys and security swipe to her apartment. She'd rung me earlier in tears. She lives alone. A locksmith wasn't available until the following day, and she feared the sound of her door lock being jiggled during the night. So I spent that night at her place, sharing her sense of being violated and consumed with thoughts of revenge. The next da,y an email arrived from the CEO of Qantas, Vanessa Hudson, confirming I was among the 5.7 million Australians whose personal frequent flyer information had been compromised in yet another corporate data breach. Cue another sleepless night fantasising about vengeance. But this time it wouldn't just be the cyber criminals who hacked their way into a "third party platform" - a Qantas call centre in Manila - who would feel my wrath. Retribution would also be visited upon the entire corporate sector, whose negligence and penny-pinching continue leaving us exposed and vulnerable. Barely a week passes without a major company releasing another slickly worded, legally vetted hollow apology confirming customer identities are floating around the dark web, available for purchase to the highest bidder, all courtesy of a failure to implement tighter security measures. The latest Qantas breach isn't just another technical failure. It's symbolic of a wider rot that has crept into corporate culture - businesses refusing to grasp the obvious that investing heavily in robust encryption and state of the art security systems is a revenue-enhancing strategy, not a cost centre. Data protection builds trust. Trust builds loyalty. Loyalty builds repeat business. It's the equivalent of food safety in restaurants. Poison a customer? You'll be closed down. Allow a customer's data to be stolen? Brand damage, expensive class actions and millions spent on marketing campaigns to rehabilitate your image follows. How can businesses so focused on the bottom line not do their sums? And who else finds it ironic that at a time when consumers enjoy more power than ever - a critical or positive social media review can profoundly impact a business - we've never been treated more contemptuously? Companies crave our personal information. They've called it "the new oil" for years. But we have seen so many breaches and resulting inconvenience for customers that a growing number of big businesses now look more like reckless prospectors, mining customers for their data with no concern for the consequences. So here's what I've been fantasising about: governments, regulators and we - the customers - need to stop rewarding corporate complacency about data protection. Tougher penalties must be imposed on companies who leave customer information exposed or stolen because of lax security measures. Executives and their boards should have remuneration and bonuses tied to the level of digital security they provide. And it's more than time for governments to mandate tougher cybersecurity standards, not vaguely worded "best practice" measures that leave enormous wiggle room for businesses focused only on their bottom line. Qantas should know better. Once a company with strong and emotional community ties, its reputation was shredded under the final years of former CEO Alan Joyce because of an obsessive focus on profits and investors. Its email to millions of Australians showed it hasn't learned much. Almost half of it was devoted to a point-by-point lesson on how to "remain vigilant to any misuse of your personal information". Let me add another suggestion. Quit the Qantas frequent flyer program. It's promoted as a loyalty feature but is clearly nothing more than a shoddily protected data-mining exercise. It's one thing to have your keys stolen. It's another to leave your front door open to thieves. HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you suffered because your personal data was stolen? Have you stopped dealing with companies that misuse your information? Should tougher penalties be introduced to penalise businesses with lax cybersecurity measures? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Former federal Labor leader now NSW independent MP Mark Latham has been roundly condemned for allegedly photographing female MPs in the parliamentary chamber without their permission. - The jobless rate has risen to 4.3 per cent, surpassing expectations, as the number of unemployed Australians jumped. - A man has been charged with the theft of a car linked to several high profile violent incidents, including the alleged "politically motivated" firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue. THEY SAID IT: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and a few minutes of cyber-incident to ruin it." Stephane Nappo, French security expert. YOU SAID IT: It was a small act of rebellion John didn't realise he was committing when he wore a bright yellow parka on a gloomy city day. In a sea of black puffer jackets, he broke the strict winter dress code. "Be a mellow fellow in your yellow, John," writes David. "Donovan sang about 'Sunshine Superman', after all. Aside from the pleasant contrast with the dour, black puffer brigade, you are far less likely to be mown down in dismal light conditions. Adherence to fashion can be lethal. Remember when the silver/metallic grey hue was the only one available in cars? Well, mostly. The silver car against the grey road in a misty dawn/dusk, no lights of course, was always a gamble but, hell, gotta be hip." Maggie reports from Sydney's Central Station: "I can see four white or cream puffer jackets, two mauve (one male wearer, one female) a leopard pattern, a blue camouflage-type pattern - and yes, lots of black and dark blue." Vernon thinks winter is sombre enough without darkening it further with grim colours: "But its hard to find something colourful in the shops, so again fashion is forced upon us by the retailers and manufacturers." "I remember as kids in Melbourne my grandmother used to wear non-conformist clothing," writes Paul. "Bright floral patterns. We thought it was a little eccentric. She later would wear her nightie when watering the garden. In her final years in the aged care home she would be found swinging on the clothesline naked with another lady. But I'm sure you'll be fine. Thoughts and prayers for John, everyone." In defence of dark clothes, Chris points out that they absorb warmth when the sun is shining. And Heather writes: "Navy [and black] do not show the dirty marks they pick up on in public transport. And waterproof garments are much harder to clean than our regular clothes. Your bright yellow puffer jacket is great for country walks, but a few rides on our public transport system and it would not be so beautiful and yellow." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I spent the night fantasising about catching the thief. I'd easily overpower him, of course. He wouldn't know what hit him. I'd smack him in the chops once or twice, truss him nice and tight with rope so rough it would leave burn marks and then call the cops. That's the nice thing about fantasies. Old blokes with dodgy backs and arthritic shoulders are transformed into expert kung fu practitioners with supernaturally fast reflexes. But as the evening wore on, the fantasy darkened. I'd delay that call to the police. First, I'd interrogate my whimpering victim. Make him squirm, even wet his pants. Find out where he lived. Promise I'd pay him another visit. Let him experience the vulnerability and fear he'd instilled in my daughter by stealing the spare keys and security swipe to her apartment. She'd rung me earlier in tears. She lives alone. A locksmith wasn't available until the following day, and she feared the sound of her door lock being jiggled during the night. So I spent that night at her place, sharing her sense of being violated and consumed with thoughts of revenge. The next da,y an email arrived from the CEO of Qantas, Vanessa Hudson, confirming I was among the 5.7 million Australians whose personal frequent flyer information had been compromised in yet another corporate data breach. Cue another sleepless night fantasising about vengeance. But this time it wouldn't just be the cyber criminals who hacked their way into a "third party platform" - a Qantas call centre in Manila - who would feel my wrath. Retribution would also be visited upon the entire corporate sector, whose negligence and penny-pinching continue leaving us exposed and vulnerable. Barely a week passes without a major company releasing another slickly worded, legally vetted hollow apology confirming customer identities are floating around the dark web, available for purchase to the highest bidder, all courtesy of a failure to implement tighter security measures. The latest Qantas breach isn't just another technical failure. It's symbolic of a wider rot that has crept into corporate culture - businesses refusing to grasp the obvious that investing heavily in robust encryption and state of the art security systems is a revenue-enhancing strategy, not a cost centre. Data protection builds trust. Trust builds loyalty. Loyalty builds repeat business. It's the equivalent of food safety in restaurants. Poison a customer? You'll be closed down. Allow a customer's data to be stolen? Brand damage, expensive class actions and millions spent on marketing campaigns to rehabilitate your image follows. How can businesses so focused on the bottom line not do their sums? And who else finds it ironic that at a time when consumers enjoy more power than ever - a critical or positive social media review can profoundly impact a business - we've never been treated more contemptuously? Companies crave our personal information. They've called it "the new oil" for years. But we have seen so many breaches and resulting inconvenience for customers that a growing number of big businesses now look more like reckless prospectors, mining customers for their data with no concern for the consequences. So here's what I've been fantasising about: governments, regulators and we - the customers - need to stop rewarding corporate complacency about data protection. Tougher penalties must be imposed on companies who leave customer information exposed or stolen because of lax security measures. Executives and their boards should have remuneration and bonuses tied to the level of digital security they provide. And it's more than time for governments to mandate tougher cybersecurity standards, not vaguely worded "best practice" measures that leave enormous wiggle room for businesses focused only on their bottom line. Qantas should know better. Once a company with strong and emotional community ties, its reputation was shredded under the final years of former CEO Alan Joyce because of an obsessive focus on profits and investors. Its email to millions of Australians showed it hasn't learned much. Almost half of it was devoted to a point-by-point lesson on how to "remain vigilant to any misuse of your personal information". Let me add another suggestion. Quit the Qantas frequent flyer program. It's promoted as a loyalty feature but is clearly nothing more than a shoddily protected data-mining exercise. It's one thing to have your keys stolen. It's another to leave your front door open to thieves. HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you suffered because your personal data was stolen? Have you stopped dealing with companies that misuse your information? Should tougher penalties be introduced to penalise businesses with lax cybersecurity measures? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Former federal Labor leader now NSW independent MP Mark Latham has been roundly condemned for allegedly photographing female MPs in the parliamentary chamber without their permission. - The jobless rate has risen to 4.3 per cent, surpassing expectations, as the number of unemployed Australians jumped. - A man has been charged with the theft of a car linked to several high profile violent incidents, including the alleged "politically motivated" firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue. THEY SAID IT: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and a few minutes of cyber-incident to ruin it." Stephane Nappo, French security expert. YOU SAID IT: It was a small act of rebellion John didn't realise he was committing when he wore a bright yellow parka on a gloomy city day. In a sea of black puffer jackets, he broke the strict winter dress code. "Be a mellow fellow in your yellow, John," writes David. "Donovan sang about 'Sunshine Superman', after all. Aside from the pleasant contrast with the dour, black puffer brigade, you are far less likely to be mown down in dismal light conditions. Adherence to fashion can be lethal. Remember when the silver/metallic grey hue was the only one available in cars? Well, mostly. The silver car against the grey road in a misty dawn/dusk, no lights of course, was always a gamble but, hell, gotta be hip." Maggie reports from Sydney's Central Station: "I can see four white or cream puffer jackets, two mauve (one male wearer, one female) a leopard pattern, a blue camouflage-type pattern - and yes, lots of black and dark blue." Vernon thinks winter is sombre enough without darkening it further with grim colours: "But its hard to find something colourful in the shops, so again fashion is forced upon us by the retailers and manufacturers." "I remember as kids in Melbourne my grandmother used to wear non-conformist clothing," writes Paul. "Bright floral patterns. We thought it was a little eccentric. She later would wear her nightie when watering the garden. In her final years in the aged care home she would be found swinging on the clothesline naked with another lady. But I'm sure you'll be fine. Thoughts and prayers for John, everyone." In defence of dark clothes, Chris points out that they absorb warmth when the sun is shining. And Heather writes: "Navy [and black] do not show the dirty marks they pick up on in public transport. And waterproof garments are much harder to clean than our regular clothes. Your bright yellow puffer jacket is great for country walks, but a few rides on our public transport system and it would not be so beautiful and yellow." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I spent the night fantasising about catching the thief. I'd easily overpower him, of course. He wouldn't know what hit him. I'd smack him in the chops once or twice, truss him nice and tight with rope so rough it would leave burn marks and then call the cops. That's the nice thing about fantasies. Old blokes with dodgy backs and arthritic shoulders are transformed into expert kung fu practitioners with supernaturally fast reflexes. But as the evening wore on, the fantasy darkened. I'd delay that call to the police. First, I'd interrogate my whimpering victim. Make him squirm, even wet his pants. Find out where he lived. Promise I'd pay him another visit. Let him experience the vulnerability and fear he'd instilled in my daughter by stealing the spare keys and security swipe to her apartment. She'd rung me earlier in tears. She lives alone. A locksmith wasn't available until the following day, and she feared the sound of her door lock being jiggled during the night. So I spent that night at her place, sharing her sense of being violated and consumed with thoughts of revenge. The next da,y an email arrived from the CEO of Qantas, Vanessa Hudson, confirming I was among the 5.7 million Australians whose personal frequent flyer information had been compromised in yet another corporate data breach. Cue another sleepless night fantasising about vengeance. But this time it wouldn't just be the cyber criminals who hacked their way into a "third party platform" - a Qantas call centre in Manila - who would feel my wrath. Retribution would also be visited upon the entire corporate sector, whose negligence and penny-pinching continue leaving us exposed and vulnerable. Barely a week passes without a major company releasing another slickly worded, legally vetted hollow apology confirming customer identities are floating around the dark web, available for purchase to the highest bidder, all courtesy of a failure to implement tighter security measures. The latest Qantas breach isn't just another technical failure. It's symbolic of a wider rot that has crept into corporate culture - businesses refusing to grasp the obvious that investing heavily in robust encryption and state of the art security systems is a revenue-enhancing strategy, not a cost centre. Data protection builds trust. Trust builds loyalty. Loyalty builds repeat business. It's the equivalent of food safety in restaurants. Poison a customer? You'll be closed down. Allow a customer's data to be stolen? Brand damage, expensive class actions and millions spent on marketing campaigns to rehabilitate your image follows. How can businesses so focused on the bottom line not do their sums? And who else finds it ironic that at a time when consumers enjoy more power than ever - a critical or positive social media review can profoundly impact a business - we've never been treated more contemptuously? Companies crave our personal information. They've called it "the new oil" for years. But we have seen so many breaches and resulting inconvenience for customers that a growing number of big businesses now look more like reckless prospectors, mining customers for their data with no concern for the consequences. So here's what I've been fantasising about: governments, regulators and we - the customers - need to stop rewarding corporate complacency about data protection. Tougher penalties must be imposed on companies who leave customer information exposed or stolen because of lax security measures. Executives and their boards should have remuneration and bonuses tied to the level of digital security they provide. And it's more than time for governments to mandate tougher cybersecurity standards, not vaguely worded "best practice" measures that leave enormous wiggle room for businesses focused only on their bottom line. Qantas should know better. Once a company with strong and emotional community ties, its reputation was shredded under the final years of former CEO Alan Joyce because of an obsessive focus on profits and investors. Its email to millions of Australians showed it hasn't learned much. Almost half of it was devoted to a point-by-point lesson on how to "remain vigilant to any misuse of your personal information". Let me add another suggestion. Quit the Qantas frequent flyer program. It's promoted as a loyalty feature but is clearly nothing more than a shoddily protected data-mining exercise. It's one thing to have your keys stolen. It's another to leave your front door open to thieves. HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you suffered because your personal data was stolen? Have you stopped dealing with companies that misuse your information? Should tougher penalties be introduced to penalise businesses with lax cybersecurity measures? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - Former federal Labor leader now NSW independent MP Mark Latham has been roundly condemned for allegedly photographing female MPs in the parliamentary chamber without their permission. - The jobless rate has risen to 4.3 per cent, surpassing expectations, as the number of unemployed Australians jumped. - A man has been charged with the theft of a car linked to several high profile violent incidents, including the alleged "politically motivated" firebombing of a Melbourne synagogue. THEY SAID IT: "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and a few minutes of cyber-incident to ruin it." Stephane Nappo, French security expert. YOU SAID IT: It was a small act of rebellion John didn't realise he was committing when he wore a bright yellow parka on a gloomy city day. In a sea of black puffer jackets, he broke the strict winter dress code. "Be a mellow fellow in your yellow, John," writes David. "Donovan sang about 'Sunshine Superman', after all. Aside from the pleasant contrast with the dour, black puffer brigade, you are far less likely to be mown down in dismal light conditions. Adherence to fashion can be lethal. Remember when the silver/metallic grey hue was the only one available in cars? Well, mostly. The silver car against the grey road in a misty dawn/dusk, no lights of course, was always a gamble but, hell, gotta be hip." Maggie reports from Sydney's Central Station: "I can see four white or cream puffer jackets, two mauve (one male wearer, one female) a leopard pattern, a blue camouflage-type pattern - and yes, lots of black and dark blue." Vernon thinks winter is sombre enough without darkening it further with grim colours: "But its hard to find something colourful in the shops, so again fashion is forced upon us by the retailers and manufacturers." "I remember as kids in Melbourne my grandmother used to wear non-conformist clothing," writes Paul. "Bright floral patterns. We thought it was a little eccentric. She later would wear her nightie when watering the garden. In her final years in the aged care home she would be found swinging on the clothesline naked with another lady. But I'm sure you'll be fine. Thoughts and prayers for John, everyone." In defence of dark clothes, Chris points out that they absorb warmth when the sun is shining. And Heather writes: "Navy [and black] do not show the dirty marks they pick up on in public transport. And waterproof garments are much harder to clean than our regular clothes. Your bright yellow puffer jacket is great for country walks, but a few rides on our public transport system and it would not be so beautiful and yellow."
