Friday, February 16, 2018

PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED


After Mao died, the Communist Party settled on a formula of declaring that Mao had made mistakes—about 30 percent of what he did was declared wrong and 70 percent was right. That’s essentially the formula used today.
Blind Faith: unlocking the secrets of WestConnex - Michael West


JOHN AUSTEN. NSW needs an inquiry into Sydney transport



A dreadful start to 2018 for Sydney transport made NSW Minister Constance the unwelcome centre of attention.  The spotlight will turn to the Premier who was formerly the Minister for Transport. Continue reading 


JOHN AUSTEN. Newcastle port – some progress in undoing a privatisation fiasco


Pressure is mounting to overcome the ridiculous anti-competitive constraints on Newcastle port. Continue reading 

Fairfax journalist Jessica Irvine 
writes about corruption. No the brown-paper-bag-full-of-$50-notes corruption, but the corruption that emerges when governments regulate markets. She points out that  “rent-seeking, the practice of attempting to manipulate government decisions to earn profits above what would otherwise be required to stay in business, is now rife”.





Asking Martina Navratilova - would she escape in 2018.


NEWS YOU CAN USE: 7 Ways To Stop A Plague Before It Spreads

Publishing is an upper-class industry that attracts upper-class writers. This social and cultural sliver has a profound impact on whose stories get told 


5 Social Media Trends to Expect in 2018 



Breathtaking Bubbles, Butterfly Wings, and a Glowing Atom Take Top Prizes in Science Photo Contest




SCOTT BURCHILL. Jim Molan’s delusions



No-one would expect a surgeon to recommend Chinese medicine to his patients. His advice usually involves a scalpel and some nasty cutting. Similarly, it would be surprising for military men to advocate political solutions to global conflicts. It’s not their area of professional expertise. By default they lead with their strongest suit — organised violence — not geopolitics or diplomacy. Continue reading 


  1. Train crash

    Rogue IT admin goes off the rails, shuts down Canadian train switches

  2. Mobile phone dealer boss faces 12 years in director limbo 
    Did somebody say VAT fraud? Yes, the Insolvency Service did




 Australia: Whistle-blowing on your client



The US is the world’s second worst tax haven, say Tax Justice Networks ranking Quartz



When it comes to “who murdered more,” Hitler and Stalin fall short of Chairman Mao.
↩︎ The New York Review of Books



Where in the world should ex-New Yorkers move? Other likely cities, mapped to New York neighborhoods.

Reviewing all of this year's Super Bowl commercials, all at once, shows that US corporations are freaking out.

↩︎ The Week
 
How To Handle a Crisis : 10 Golden Rules 
Companies can keep their valuable reputations when disaster comes knocking. Three experts explain how.By The Rules 
1 Have a plan. 
2 Assess the damage; determine what's fixable, what's true and what's in the best interest of shareholders. 
3 Release a boilerplate statement within 10 minutes.
 4 Express regret.
 5 Take responsibility. 
6 Take remedial action.
 7 Get the CEO and chairman talk to media and stakeholders.
 8 Publish digital content quickly to get your side of the story out. 
9 Have a kill switch for social media. 
10 Direct people to a source of information. 
What does it take to get through a crisis with your reputation intact? At the BOSS Leadership Summit, senior writer Aaron Patrick led a lively hypothetical discussion with Sue Cato, founder of cato counsel, Gerry McCusker, founder of EngageORM and Louise McElvogue, lead partner at Macleod Media, to discover the golden rules of crisis communications. 

BOSS: In our hypothetical scenario, the CEO of a large commercial bank rings you and says they're being told that AFP agents are about to raid their offices on behalf of the Australian Taxation Office, looking for evidence that the bank has been using tax havens to avoid tax, which have been exposed in a massive leak called the Pacific Papers. What do you tell her? 

10 golden rules for businesses managing a crisis | afr.com

 

DSS tried to hide data breach from affected employees.
The Department of Social Services initially decided not to inform employees of a major privacy breach last year that exposed the personal data of 8500 current and former staffers, reasoning that it would cause unnecessary concern." (Crikey)
 
Blood and retribution: Sydney's growing bikie death toll