25 Million and Counting

The stats people say Australia's population reach 25 million by the first Monday of August 2018, roughly the size of a major conurbation in China - the greater Beijing area.

Are we a nation still consumed in worrying proportions by the 5Ds, an observation first mooted in the 1990s?

States of sedation or elation induced by drugs, drunkenness, driving, dependencies and deals? Our continuing take up of smart phones, opiates, coffee, sugar, oligopolies, poor compliance with regulation, political mischief and short sighted planning can make each of us look like a potential total wreck today, just like a cross between a potentially extinct elephant and our native koala, looking having a serious hang over with bites on our surprised demeanour.

More people are moving to outside Australia, but then this is countered by others moving in. It can all be attributed to the dynamics of a nation with both high levels of shortcomings and attractive features, depending on the eye of the beholder. The majority of the population has always had an immigrant background, only that the demographic emphasis has changed from the White Australian policy to varying levels of diversity that now significantly embraces migrants from China and India.

The impact on the continuing capacity and viability of the related supporting infrastructure and processes in education delivery, health care, transport, utility cost and other aspects of daily life can never be under estimated, especially if councils and State Governments continue to have a more reactive rather a than a proactive response.

Have standards of civility and personal behaviour changed with more people? Have the recent immigrants of the past decade been more willing to integrate into] the mainstream culture or become more differentiated in their own silo daily habits and mindset? Do residents see this nation as a long term place to settle in or just a pit stop in a more mobile world? The increased demand on resources from a growing population obviously creates an effect on costings and supply variables, so the cost of living, variety of talent to choose from and the number of community interaction issues rise in numbers as well. Do we feel safer for ourselves and at home?

And yet each of us must be somehow grateful for the freedom of expression; the relatively clean environment; the balance of personal and community equality; the emancipation in the lifestyle you choose; and the experience of spaciousness - the 5 Es.

#yongkevthoughts

Shades of the News

So now we have one business, Nine, that operates across a wide spectrum of traditional, contemporary and emerging technical, media, entertainment and advertising platforms in Australia.

Increasingly we get the news content when and where we want and with most convenience to us. The coffee and breakfast are still tasty whether you are holding them next to a smart phone, laptop or newspaper.

The more significant issue facing each of us continues to be the validity and emphasis of what we are told and provided as information.

The lack of choice of providers in this regard is most pronounced with other aspects of daily life in countries with lesser options in expression and human rights. 

However, the consolidation of media players in societies with small populations like Australia can also negatively impact on popular opinions, communal thinking and the development of democratic trends.

Coverage of news in any country has always been a widespread and effective means of cultural and political control.
So called capitalist economies may seem to allow more diversity in news information, but what happens behind the ownership of the powerful media companies operating there can throw dark shadows.

Most news publications in Asian nations are owned and run by the political parties in power. It is an alien concept and practice to have so called independent news publications surviving and prospering. Previous such attempts like Asiaweek or in Asian editions of American and UK mouthpieces met the inevitable end of not being viable.

So what you read and digest in any form of media we come across has to be strongly tinged with a huge dose of caution and cynicism.

The current USA President is vocal on his stand against the output of media operators like CNN and the New York Times. Each of us also has a preference for what shade of journalism we support, often synchronised with our label of political thinking. 

We tend to get our already existing views of the world consolidated with what we like to be fed, whether on web sites or with our daily paper. 

This brings us next to deal with whether differences of opinion can be twisted to meddling with the so called truth or facts.

A fact is supported by untampered evidence while an untruth is not. An opinion need not be objective as it can be tampered by random experience and selective thought. News dished out to us can be facts, opinions or fake.

Whilst the journalistic profession can have serious concerns about integrity and expression while working for powerful enployers with much financial and political clout, let us remind overselves where the buck stops in news transmission.

If we do not buy it, news provided to us loses its meaning, relevance and capability.

#yongkevthoughts