Autumn Again in the Antipodes

 A Moment of Reflection.

Autumn is a wonderful time in the garden.

Growth may slow, but the flora take stock as the weather cools and take a hiatus from normal activity to restore.

Weeds disappear, the sunlight hours restore and plants prepare for spring.

Not a time to fertilise or induce the soil.  The moon shines brighter and the sun reduces its intensity.

Fauna prepare for the coming winter.

#yongkevthoughts

Federal Australian Election Results 2022

 The last time around, what now for 2025?

The 2022 Federal election results across Australia has unearthed the following: 

1.  The only Federal MP of Indian background, Dave Sharma, has lost his seat. 

2.   Independent candidates have made their significant stride by winning at least 10 electorates. 

3.   For the first time in Australian history, the Prime Minister does not have an Anglo- Saxon family name. 

4.   The only Federal MP of Hong Kong descent, Gladys Liu  has lost her seat after one term. 

5.   The Greens have increased their seats to at least 4. 

6.    Well known  incumbent Liberal Party MPs have lost their seats. 

7.   The retiring French Foreign Minister could not help showing his glee at the loss incurred by the outgoing government of the Coalition's Morrison. 

8.    The critical voting states of Queensland and Western Australia helped to tip the win for the incoming Federal Government. 

9.    Around 5.5 million people had early voted before the actual Federal Election Day. 

10.   This was a most important election held during an unsettled epidemic. 

A good change after the last 4 years with Morrison as PM. 

Australian governments rotate between the Coalition and Labor, but more voters are now disillusioned with the two main parties. 

A change at Canberra can help positively reset the decaying state of diplomatic relationships between China and Aus. 

Climate change initiatives can be taken up by Canberra in a more pro-active way. 

A Federal anti corruption body is closer to reality. 

Will society get a more fair deal , especially for teachers, front line workers and grassroots employees, than the super rich with connections to politicians?

Politics Along Party Lines

 A thought from the past, but equally pertinent today....

Why are politicians from different shades, across the world, so often overly divisive and aggressive to operate against each other, especially along party lines?

I reckon these politicians are in their own egoistic and deluded bubbles, fighting each other, instead of finding common values to work for society -  and continuing to overly find fault with each other and forgetting to serve the people?

Obsessive and addictive toeing to political party imperatives can be so dangerous, psrticularly
when led by narrow minded leaders.

I observe loyalty to party lines can lead to loss of common sense and hijacking of important agendas by party leaders.

Such is the fault and fracture of so called contemporary  democracy - the practitioners forget they are there to help the public and not themselves.

#yongkevthoughts

Geopolitics

 A  Reminder......

The risks of war accumulate,
as deceit, tempers and quarrels grow.
Moderation and tolerance are hard pressed to reduce the heat,
as thinking and mindsets of controlling politicians get to an all time low.

So am I an ordinary citizen supposed to go with the flow,
even if I abhor destructive creep.
If not enough of us do not stand up to say No,
we are at the mercy of those who will make us weep.

#yongkevthoughts

Paper, Where Art Thou?

An update.

 So paper continues to be on the way out in our daily lives. Or so it seems, perhaps reinforced by the need to be more contactless, surfaceless and storageless in this Age of Technological Revolution.

It can be interesting we are not always offered the paper receipt or invoice at cafes, newsagents, produce outlets and eating places, as the transaction is already captured online.  If you want a copy of the receipt, you have to give an email address - and such email addresses can be further possibly be spamned or hacked.

Paper based products are still gooxld to blow a nose, absorb the excess oil after a deep fry and in demand for our delicate bums after answering Nature's call.  Yet the wheels of contemporary commerce discourage paper trails with their consumers, embedding the writing in the wall for printers and the use of the still pervasive suburban post box.

Paper shredders can go the way of the extinct Dodo bird.  People may still enjoy the feel of the ever shrinking daily newspaper and love their grilled fish served on printed paper.  The disposable virus protector face mask is essentially crafted from paper layering.  Magazines are no longer the companions on rainy days, long train rides and at afternoon tea sessions at home that they once were.  Are trees being saved with a reduced usage of paper, or trees are depleted anyway for other stronger reasons?

Electronic screens are increasingly held more than paper pages.  Libraries and street bookshops are still significant custodians of knowledge on paper despite it all.  The vulnerabilities of holding knowledge and information on paper are highlighted by the storage of things and data on virtual clouds and internet files, but the latter has other risks inherent and subject to hacking, contamination and identity theft.

Butcher paper, art materials and Origami still retain an elegance and usefulness about paper.  The historical transformation of paper originating from papyrus reeds to its important role in spreading knowledge and equity, as accessible printed items can never be underestimated. 

Contemporary technology has led us to increasingly abandon paper as a medium, but perhaps paper will still be utilised for other but more niche purposes.  The role of paper as money in currency circulation has also been questioned, as governments moved to plastic at the close of the 20th century and then to digital monies in the 21st.

Paper has served to facilitate the societal arrangements and needs of humankind for a long time.   Their creation, destruction and disposal has meant various things in different cultures and religions.  Paper has been laminated, bound and preserved.   We used to put down our innermost thoughts, write our qualifying exams and declare our economic transactions mostly on paper.

Stationery still comes in countless forms on paper despite the advent of the digital age.  Our writing instruments still require paper instead of non paper materials.  It may be still too early to witness the demise of paper use.

#yongkevthoughts