Twitter makes it clear how much people involved in agriculture have in common, all over the world. Most share similar values and interests and have the same sense of humour. Websites, blogs and social media now help innovations spread in leaps and bounds. Previously, any number of people would be simultaneously working on similar projects, […]
Fiona Lake Blog
Realism preferable to perpetuating “superwoman” stereotypes
September 19th, 2014Young women can be left with false expectations and many older women find it daunting, when faced with a bevy of seemingly ultra-capable superwomen, most of whom steer well clear of mentioning any kind of fallibility (mistakes, and what they aren’t good at). So Alexandra Gartmann’s talk at this week’s QRRRWN* Conference was a breath […]
Many of our top 100 chief executives are from regional Australia
September 11th, 201421% of Australia’s top 100 chief executives were born in regional Australia, according to the “Pathways to CEO” research undertaken by the University of Sydney Business School. It is discussed in today’s Sydney Morning Herald and more on the research will appear in the Australian Financial Review’s “Boss” magazine. When overseas-born chief executives are removed […]
A Place to Call Home
September 8th, 2014Are television dramas set in rural Australia, good or bad for the image of the bush? I’ve just finished watching “A Place to Call Home” (recorded on digital TV). Quality in every respect. Excellent story and cinematography, interesting characters and top actors. The icing on the cake? It’s 100% Australian. Set in the 1950s, it […]
Cyclones and natural disaster insurance
April 11th, 2014Cyclones (hurricanes) are just a collection of storms that have got organised into a circular movement (due to the earth’s spin) with a falling central air pressure that is sucking in moist air from the surrounding area. Big tropical storms form over warm sea temperatures, during the ‘wet’ or ‘monsoon’ season, when air humidity is […]
Objective journalism and the ABC
December 29th, 2013You can give identical film footage, photographs or facts to two different film producers or print editors/journalists and end up with two entirely different stories. Judicious editing, with specific sounds or music added, can produce polar opposite outcomes (both well away from the truth, if desired). Australian taxpayers fund the ABC so we have a […]
Australian decentralisation – lip service
November 13th, 2013I just did a little regional/capital city cost-of-living comparison test. Entering your postcode into a certain bed retailer’s website brings up the price locals are charged. The average mattress (not a bulky bedframe, just a mattress), costs Townsville customers $200 more than a Sydney resident. Are these mattresses made in Sydney? Maybe they are – […]
The Farm Fixer; BBC television series, now on SBS Television
June 10th, 2013British television is sprinkled with television programmes that feature rural landscapes. Better still, they have more programmes that feature farming. The latest BBC farm-featuring documentary to appear in Australia is “The Farm Fixer”; screening on SBS HD, 6pm. The 8 part ‘reality’ series is set in Northern Ireland, and features Nick Hewer offering diversification advice to struggling farmers. […]