–Alfred Brendel
Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom.
— Samuel Taylor Coleridge, born in 1772
“ No One Saw it Coming “': Panic sets in for Labor amid Foley saga
Gladys Berejiklian has instructed her MPs and ministers to stay clear of the harassment claims against Luke Foley, as a senior Opposition source said that "panic" had started to set in.
NSW Minister for Corrections, Counter-Terrorism and Veterans Affairs David Elliott failed to disclose free travel across Israel
YouTube Went Down For An Hour And… Traffic To News Sites Increased 20 Percent
A one-hour YouTube outage on October 16 at around 9 p.m. ET resulted in a 20 percent net increase in traffic to client publishers’ sites, Chartbeat found. … Read More
Innovation to improve quality, value or efficiency
OPSI is developing a model for public sector innovation and we want your input. Our first blog made the case that there were different 'facets' of innovation, then the second blog looked at how different types of innovation lead to different types of change. Now, the third blog takes a deep dive on innovation facet #1: 'enhancement-oriented' innovation. This is the kind of innovation where government starts with the question of “how might we do X better?” Read the blog, watch the video and tweet us what you think @OPSIgovTax Commissioner Chris Jordan wants to draw 'line in the sand' with small business
CEOs should have been the fall guys; why are they still heroes? Aeon
“As the internet has matured, the way we use websites has gradually shifted. In this episode of the Kennedy-Mighell Report, hosts Dennis Kennedy and Tom Mighell discuss how they use websites and how RSS and social media are eliminating the use of destination sites. They share some of the websites they use, what they use them for, and the shift websites have made from just sources of information to tools you can use. As always, stay tuned for the parting shots, that one tip, website, or observation that you can use the second the podcast ends.”
“Desperation comes…there must be a hundred tourists right now who have filed police reports in Casablanca about stolen goods. You are just another one of them. Not distinguishable in any way…You hear the lie coming out of your mouth before you have time to think it through: “I’m a writer for the New York Times,’ you say. ‘I’m doing a travel story on Casablanca. I really don’t want to have to include this.’
John Fahey had a long career as an Australian intelligence officer and now he's used his insider knowledge to write the story of Australia's first spies. He explained to Phil Clark on Nightlife that Australia began spying on other countries shortly after federation, including Germany, Japan and even Britain.
Antipodean Spies
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Formation is the painstaking, earnest investment of an older generation of mentors in a younger generation of apprentices. At the root of formation is a trusting relationship that a mentor is wise, reliable and well-intended in passing on information to a humble, hard-working and discerning apprentice. Before they were introduced to the nuance of brushstrokes, the great artists first had mentors who taught them to sweep the studio, run errands and mix paints.
What Happens When The Great Thinking Of The World Is Reduced To Being Expressed In Tweets?
So, what happens when people stop writing letters? Or when books become less central to society—a tangential diversion or eccentricity—less important than movies, which are less important than the premium cable channels, which are less important than Netflix and Amazon Prime, which are less important than video games, all of which together are less important than social media? What happens when our writers and thinkers express themselves through Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter instead of on the page? … Read More
Members of the Monty Python [British comedy] group have incorporated for tax reasons in the United States. The name of their company: Eva- doTax, Incorporated.
Alain de Botton—The True Hard Work of Love and Relationships
On Being with Krista Tippett | 0h 51m | Listen Later 
Alain de Botton’s essay “Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person” was one of the most-read articles in The New York Times in recent years. As people and as a culture, he says, we would be much saner and happier if we reexamined our very view of love. Love deepens and stumbles, survives and evolves over time, and that process has more to do with ourselves than with what is right or wrong with our partner. The real work of love is not in the falling, but in what comes after.
Alain de Botton’s essay “Why You Will Marry the Wrong Person” was one of the most-read articles in The New York Times in recent years. As people and as a culture, he says, we would be much saner and happier if we reexamined our very view of love. Love deepens and stumbles, survives and evolves over time, and that process has more to do with ourselves than with what is right or wrong with our partner. The real work of love is not in the falling, but in what comes after.
— Mother Jones Magazine via BC
Sir Jeremy Heywood retires as cabinet secretary
"Sir Mark Sedwill named as Heywood’s replacement, taking on the roles of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service. " (Civil Service World)
LinkedIn CEO says the biggest skills gap in the US is not coding
"What most employers want, Jeff Weiner says, are written communication, oral communication, team-building, and leadership skills. " (Quartz)
Among the observations: one publisher maintains:
I don't want poetry books to be bestsellers. For, if you sell more, that means you are resonating with the mainstream. Poetry is the voice from the outside. Its survival depends on resisting the mainstream.
Succeed No Matter What Your Obstacles Are
Our professional lives are full of challenges and setbacks, but those who achieve elite performance are able to consistently rally their emotional strength in the pursuit of their goals—no matter what gets thrown at them.
The Conversation
If we view tertiary education as a commodity rather than an enlightening pursuit, practices such as essay buying will become more common.
Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC reject Labor's push to beef up tax promoter laws - report discussing big four accounting firms' take on tax promoter laws.
ATO 'let bosses off super penalties'
Tax Office has 50 secret agreements to stop advisers promoting exploitation schemes - report highlighting ATO's role in stopping tax exploitation schemes
Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC reject Labor's push to beef up tax promoter laws - report discussing big four accounting firms' take on tax promoter laws.
