It had to happen sometime - posted by Graham

It's semi-official. Global warming is taking a back seat to the economy. The Lowy Institute has just released the results of their 2008 pollwhich finds, amongst other things: Australians see protecting their jobs and strengthening the economy as more important... More

100% pure Costa Rica? - posted by Ronda Jambe

In many ways, Costa Rica reminds me of New Zealand. Their national motto, Pura Vida! is not so different from the New Zealand catch-cry. Both countries look small on a world map, but expand on the ground into amazingly extensive... More

Looking for the last California - posted by Ronda Jambe

Many years ago I wrote an article for the ACT Labor newsletter about Australia as 'the last California'. Those forms of local participation no longer exist, but the phrase still seems useful. Perhaps more so, as globalisation has made the... More

Sub-prime and climate change - posted by Graham

Is there a link between the demise of Lehman Brothers and global warming? Jennifer Marohasy certainly seems to think so, but she doesn't say why. There is a spate of theories from her commenters. I think that there is a... More

Sub-Prime easier than Iraq - posted by Graham

The ABC claims that the US financial crisis could cost $500 billion to $1 trilion. I don't want to trivialise the amount, but it should be well within the capability of the US to cope with it. Afterall the war... More

LNP parcel passed to Malcolm Turnbull - posted by Graham

What exactly is the new Liberal National Party? While according to the Queensland Parliament's website it exists, some of its members are acting as though the merger had never happened and the National and Liberal parties still exist, at least... More

Pura Vida! A second life in the second world - posted by Ronda Jambe

Life is not a simulation game! It is possible to find oneself in a different place, with a whole new set of challenges and adventures. There is no quick éscape´button, I´m here for a while, so I might as well... More

Wanted - new team member - posted by Graham

OLO is published by The National Forum, which in turn contracts Internet Thinking to do that job and employ all the staff etc. Internet Thinking has also financed the growth of The National Forum. We're a small team, and we... More

The unacknowledged legislators of mankind - posted by Graham

Shelley once claimed that poets were the "unacknowledged legislators of mankind" a proposition with which my fellow English graduate Nathan Rees might agree. As someone who retired from writing poetry after producing a very modest published output, it's an idea... More

Travails in the US - carbon reduction a stretch - posted by Graham

Apparently the energy crisis is shifting Americans' attitudes to global warming - they're less worried. Hard to tell from the NBC report exactly what this means, although I gather 58 percent of them are still worried about the direction in... More

Nathan Rees' CV - posted by Graham

Not sure whether this is a self-serving post, or whether long-term the association will cause me minor embarrassment, but until Nathan Rees became an MP I thought I was the only person involved in politics whose CV contained both an... More

Racial attitudes in Australia - posted by Graham

My friend Andrew Leigh is doing research on racial attitudes in Australia, along with his colleague Alison Booth. If you're interested in helping out you can take their quizz at www.iat.org.au. I just have, and am quite pleased that I... More

Travails in the US - Palin an inspired choice - posted by Graham

We went to visit Pearl Harbour yesterday. Can you imagine doing a guided tour of the War Memorial in Canberra and being instructed to stay silent because this is a solemn place? When you visit the memorial to the Arizona... More

Travails in the US - posted by Graham

I'm currently at a convention in Hawaii - life is hard for some. Apart from running OLO I also manage (at arms length) a Civic video store, and once every two years am obliged, at huge personal discomfort ;-) to... More