Svety Mikulas is busy flying through the bohemian sky delivering goodies for chldren or rotten potatos for some ... and Tomorrow is a day of hopes, dreams and nerves as we cross the Bass Strait on the Spirit of Tasmania The fire of fiction International guide book Lonely Planet has named Tasmania’s Bay of Fires as the hottest travel destination for 2009. Bay of Fires
Cinema AUSTRALIA ….THE WORLD ….
It was with the completion of this “Red Curtain Trilogy” – and after directing a Tony-winning version of Puccini’s La Boheme on Broadway – that Luhrmann began developing a series of epic films, including a project with Leonardo DiCaprio about Alexander the Great. But after two years of intensive research across Jordan, the deserts of Morocco and the jungles of Thailand with his wife and creative partner, Catherine Martin, the project was shelved when Oliver Stone’s Alexander film went into production.
While traveling back to Sydney from Paris, Luhrmann began to imagine a story about a main character who embarks on a great journey that transforms her in a profound way. “It is the issue of transformation that I am most interested in exploring at this time,” the director explains. “I recognize a feeling that exists in me and my generation that at a certain age, you get locked into a pattern of life that will remain constant for the rest of your days – growth simply stops. So I was very interested in the idea of growth and rebirth. Secondly, life in the post-9/11 world has created an unnerving environment in which the future seems unpredictable and precarious. So I was also interested writing a story about characters who live in uncertain and tumultuous times.
• Australia; [Czech Free Marketeer Vaclav Klaus to Become President of European Union = Governments are managed by elites who are beholden to somewhat larger elites for support. Members of the former usually spring from the latter. Whether the nature of rule dictates this sort of cozy arrangement, as pronounced by the Iron Law of Oligarchy, or not, we see this type of tight, inbred elite rule in virtually every society, regardless of its declared ideological commitments and ideals. It’s Who You Know ; Women are natural born leaders, argues author and executive coach Lois P Frankel - if only they'd realise it. Quit girlie nice ]
• · Merrill Lynch estimated in 2003 that more than 85% of all potentially usable business information originates in unstructured form. With the accelerating use of the Internet, the volumes of unstructured data such as blogs, wikis and social networks have also expanded exponentially Using unstructured information to provoke thoughtful decisions,; Bureaucrats running intelligence agencies; inter agency rivalry; political cronyism: they all affect Australia’s preparedness for terrorist attacks. British intelligence service MI6 is tapping the considerable public power of Facebook to implement its latest recruitment drive. Outgoing CIO of the FBI, Zal Azmi, was appointed in 2004 and has led FBI efforts to modernise information technology. "During 9/11, the Bureau didn't have the infrastructure to transmit even a single picture over its external networks," Azmi said. Many processes were grounded in old systems. There were plenty of information technology offices within the FBI, he said - almost one for every division - but they were "stovepipes," not unlike the broader intelligence community Moving technology forward
• · The Looming Threat of Deflation … Decades of consensus that deregulation, privatisation, and free trade are the right way to go have been consigned to the dustbin of history. People must resist the urge to think of unemployment as the end of the world, no matter how difficult it may be. Maintaining a positive attitude is vital. 7 secrets for surviving a layoff in a down economy; There's never been a more incompetent profession working against corporate Australia and the ordinary person in the street than HR management. Get a job! Not with HR
• · · Political buck passing means senior public servants' professional discretion is being exploited to save their political masters’ skins. Politicising the TreasuryInspector General for Tax Administration, US Treasury, 29 August 2008, 23p. "This report presents the results of our review to determine whether the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is effectively projecting its future human resource needs. This review is one of several audits assessing how the IRS is addressing the Human Capital management challenge A more strategic and consistent approach to estimating retirements and other separations is needed to better plan for future human resource needs ; What is exciting about this Web 2.0 evolution is that there is an energy that comes with this new sense of freedom and connection The virtual gathering experience
• · · · Napoleon reputedly rated luck above other qualities, and the electoral gods have certainly favoured Obama. As dede noted Napolean used to sent three soldiers in different directions and the one who return was the best intel officer as the enemy was not there … With a world in crisis and an economy in a shambles, can Obama make it work? The new CEO of 'America Inc'; Rudd one year on … On blind hope and the awful truth ; If you follow any political blogs, you have experienced how vicious people can be to those who hold different perspectives. It doesn't have to be that way! Online bashing - It doesn't have to be that way!
• · · · · The media landscape is changing with readers flocking to online news sites at the expense of the traditional print media. Newspaper use-by date; Mere moments after the first shots were fired in Mumbai on Wednesday, terror had gone online Bloggers provide raw view of Mumbai attacks
• · · · · · Best Foreign Fiction Of 2008 ; It's all HUMBUG, I tell you, HUMBUG THE BEST HOLIDAY STORY EVER