Look, we all do it. We hurl about terms like psychopath and narcissist with reckless abandon and almost always without fully understanding the nature of the terms and the subtlety and nuance that goes into a clinical diagnosis.
Former PM Kevin Rudd was labelled “a psychopath” by former MP Steve Gibbons, and “a psychopathic narcissist” by former NSW premier Kristina Keneally. Peter Garrett ratcheted it up a notch by calling Rudd “a megalomaniac”. And that’s just the diagnoses from within Rudd’s own party. Why, the man must be a veritable walking copy of the psychiatric bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
It is arguably true that Canberra is a magnet for narcissists of various stripes. In fact, anyone who wants to get into the caper knows that getting elected to parliament involves a bevy of posters featuring their name and smiling face being nailed to lampposts and wedged in front gardens all over their home suburb. It has to be more satisfying than looking in the mirror for hours.
The trouble is, once these narcissists get to Canberra, they find themselves outgunned by bigger, badder, more vain, more hollow, more manipulative narcissists. Interacting with narcissists more narcissistic than they are must be a real blow to their bloated egos.
Full column here.
OTA…. it aint easy being…
http://seekingalpha.com/article/4049370-tesla-capital-raise-now-bankruptcy-4-months?ifp=0&utoken=dcd570aaa381038c2564ee28ae5fefe3
If Tesla was in China there would be no problem.
If you track back the history of many of today’s large companies, they went broke a couple of times.
building coal fired cars is expensive
yes. coal fired / fuelled…neat trick
But using that much aligned base load to fuel them.
We could put tens of thousands of pure electric cars on the road with a huge reduction of green house gases if they were recharged overnight.
Recharging cars overnight using solar would be a pretty nifty scientific trick.
bankruptcy protection can be a good thing…Tesla is a while away from the knackery imo
Tesla is i think the biggest selling sedan here in HK, on the back of a very large tax incentive, high fuel prices, and little to no anxiety re vehicle range.
for all that, even the Post is making fun of them.
One of the funniest comments on Cricinfo at the end of the test was . “What is that I can hear? It sounds like Test cricket pitches being hastily watered in Bangalore, Ranchi, and Dharamsala!”
We just saw you on the ABC “The Insiders” on the “Talking Pictures” segment, Mr Insider, and must say you are looking healthy and sharp, hope that is the case.
Nothing a full body transplant couldn’t sort out, Henry.
Just caught it this morning, looking very smooth….
Aw, shucks.
more importantly looking well, the posions aus have done you some good
I’m about to have some more, mate.
The full Show today Mr Insider including your “Talking Pictures” segment – great show. Fast forward should you wish to do so.
http://iview.abc.net.au/programs/insiders/NC1715V003S00
Do you still get the free beer or have you taken a couple rain checks for ron?
I manage to wrangle a couple of schooners, Dismayed.
Goodbye Tony Abbott and good riddance!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_TyoPODoGY
Ahh here it is this is what is wrong with dictator trump. Automatism – he is not conscious of his actions. I still say that boy aint right.
I see he has declined his invitation to the White House Correspondents dinner. His war with the media is becoming a tad concerning…
Very concern Dr Penny. A I said earlier. If he was president of any other country there would be worldwide condemnation and rightly so. But what we see from the conservative and right whingers is acceptance and normalisation of his dangerous and divisive ways.
Laurie Oakes today and his take on that Liberal Party would be wrecker, ex ousted PM Tony Abbott, Mr Insider, and briefly we read:
“I WISH we had Tony Abbott back.” It’s one of the least-heard sentences in Australian politics.
The former prime minister is trying to keep the dream alive, but there is no mood among Liberal MPs to return him to the leadership.
They are sick of him.”
Sadly methinks Abbott has made a mess this week of any chance he ever had to make a comeback as PM. He needs to leave Parliament/Government and obtain gainful employ in the Private sector.
The Sunday Telegraph, Sunday 1st September, 2013. Full front page picture of Tony
“Australia Needs Tony” Could a newspaper EVER get ANYTHING this wrong?
OMG BASSMAN the Sunday Telegraph, a sad apologist for Abbott is trying hard to get this fool back in as PM FGS! 30 consecutive negative Newspolls and a projected election loss of up to 50 seats when he was PM and the Sunday Telegraph says we need him! No one needs this loser Abbott.
News lost my subscription that day
As bad as it gets I never miss my weekend Oz…there is so much other good stuff in it.
checking
Van Onselen suggests that Turnbull should replace Morrisson with Corman. Not a bad idea. Corman comes across a lot better.
Ohh bugger Boadicea, I was about to suggest Scott Morrison would make a good PM!
I don’t know about you Henry, but ‘m finding the whole grim-faced chaos of the Libnats at each other’s throats exquisitely fascinating to watch.
Every day brings visions of red-faced, tight-lipped politicians losing their shit & hoping it doesn’t show.
When Labor went through the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd circus conservatives screamed of hopeless disunity so no-one should pretend this government isn’t imploding with disunity, they’re just going about it one pollie at a time.
Abbott’s just one more ingredient in the chaos.
Regards, Bella
That would be the end of them, HB!! Best thing would be to offer Morrisson a lucrative diplomatic post overseas – say Italy, South of France – anywhere nice really – as an incentive!
Any treasurer under Turnbull will be a failure
You could be right there JS. Conman would seem their last option. However I think that they are locked in now. What they need to do is show unity inthe face of attack from all sides – even their own!
Ooops Conman should read Corman. But perhaps my phone knows something I don’t?
Neo-Liberalism is the failure. ” neo-liberal era as the work of a small proportion of wealthy, influential types who just want more for themselves.” ” In that sense, while the top-end-of-town can bully the vast majority for a while with coercion, mass consumption possibilities etc, they eventually get ahead of themselves – that is the hallmark of greed – it has no limits.”
http://bilbo.economicoutlook.net/blog/?p=35284
When Hockey was chosen as Treasurer I said the same as you on this blog. “Big Arnie for Treasurer” because he is the best ‘on message’ walking talking robot they have. He is the walking talking James Joyce ‘stream of consciousness’ never-ending spewing wordsmith. At the time I said Hockey would never cut it. Like Dutts, Big Arnies always opens up his sentence with a huge hit on Labor. He needs to learn the difference between Gross and Net debt though if he is gonna cut it with Treasury and any economist (like Emma Alberici) who interviews him. I have caught him many times mixing these up. Mainly for political hits though. He will quote net debt figures for the Looters and gross debt for Labor. Very few, if any interviewers pick him up.
Conman again this morning with PVO and conservative booster Kelly stated the deficit is lower than at the 2013 election. PVO and Kelly agreed. What planet or these cons on? The Deficit is at $39++ billion if you add the zombie measures that will not be legislated it is closer to $50 billion. the deficit at the 2013 election was $17 billion. Why are the coalition allowed to continually lie to the Australian people and not be held to account?
Fran is effing hopeless. I used to think she deliberately gave Big Arnie a free run but now I think she is just dumb. Whenever a Treasurer or Finance Minister comes on she should do her homework on debt and deficit. Bloody hell I am pretty thick but i would give a week’s pension to interview Mathias or T.Bull on TV. The best interviewer I have seen with blokes like this is Mrs Jones. No wonder the now right wing ABC will not let her near the pollies.Her stint on 7.30 a couple of years back was electric. But as soon as she was there-bang! She was gone. She was murderous with Labor as well.
Leigh Sales just isn’t in the same ballpark as Sarah Ferguson. The 7.30 Report should get her back and soon. Loved her interviews.
Regards, Bella
Ach ja, he cumss across so very gut, ass long ass he’s talking about how bad ze Labor Party iss, vich is most of vat he all ze time sess.
Just read about Mem Fox’s harrowing experience at that airport. Weapons, abuse, detained, more abuse, men dressed in black, rudeness. You’d think she would know what third world countries are like though. Only, this was America, Trumps new America, and she had visited so often before. Unfortunately poor Mem is so shaken she says she doubts she will visit the US again.
.
When my boys were little, “Possum Magic” was one of their favorite books. Mem is a local aussie legend in kids literature. Im aghast at how she was treated by the new USA,
Dont care what the Trump lovers think, the place is turning rancid under his influence. Or maybe it always was, and they just covered it up well.
No doubt this kind of thing will get worse under Trump, but in my experience it’s been a problem for a long time with US border officials. Psuedo-military wannabes with jarhead haircuts, barking out incoherent orders with needless rudeness and hostility, compounded by incompetence. One time I was almost given the Mem Fox treatment for supposedly overstaying my visa by four years, until I pointed out to the ‘roided-up goon who was yelling in my face that he was looking at the wrong page in my passport.
Australian border processes are not without problems either. I used to travel for work in a group of about 20, one of whom was originally from Ethiopia. Although she was an Australian citizen, almost every time we returned to Australia, she would be selected for supposedly random extra checks. No doubt it’s even worse now that Border Force is on the job.
I was pulled aside in Dallas a few years back for having a Libyan stamp in my passport. Off to the side room with a Homeland Security dude and and FBI guy. I would have mentioned it on the blog at the time but I wanted to leave the country before I did. Then I forgot. They were actually nice enough First task was to figure out if I was a mate of Gaddafi’s, since he was still around at the time. That got resolved pretty quickly, Then they wanted to know everything I could tell them about the place! Military equipment on the streets etc (more in Egypt fellas). After they found I couldn’t add to their sum of knowledge on things Libyan , the FBI guy took me down to retrieve my bag. On the way he suddenly said “My family emigrated here from St Kilda!” Directly, I asked? Didn’t see the joke.
Btw, Mrs Valve knows a bit about Mem Fox and is happy about what happened (nasty, eh)! She’s not everyone’s cup of tea apparently…
I did wonder if Mem gave them a gobful, she seems the type. That would explain the 2 hour delay.
TV…..I think Mem Fox’s husband is a bit of an issue with a few people as well. We probably don’t know the full story, but my concern is nit so much what happened to Ms. Fox (she got an apology after all) but the possibility of anyone being targeted on arrival to the US simply because they can. Our old passports had visas for Syria, Jordan and of course work visa for Morocco, Lebanon and Kuwait…..we would have been turned around immediately I think. A friend was recently questioned on arrival at LAX because of her Malaysian visa…..Muslim country and all that. Still our very own Border Force can be pretty intimidating as well…..
I think it all depends on who you get at the counter. Some seem to love the power they hold. I was told I could not board the flight to Bhutan (at 3.30am in the morning at Bangkok) because my First Names weren’t on the visa that the Bhutan Govt had prepared!! It took a lot of very polite , grovelling argument to point out that my surname was there, the unique passport number on the visa matched the passport in my hand blah,blah. He went away and came back after a while and said, okay, I could go. But I sure had a few anxious moments . I think he enjoyed his moment of supremacy.
A lot of those countries get very anal about those details Bo. It’s not related to what’s going on in the US. Maybe the war chariot put them off? Or were they confused when you spelled it Boudica?
Yep must have been the chariot that had them worried Triv.
It’s a nice country though once you get there! Lovely people. ..
Been a problem since 2003. Even the natives get a thorough going over when they hit the first airport with M.E. stamps in their passports. Missed connections are the norm.
goodness me, men dressed in black, that is a worry.
It’s all about context, jack.
great day of cricket, the catching was first rate.
While India have put five down. Terrific ton from Smith. Dropped four times so had his share of luck but a terrific knock in the context of thr series. Love seeing most of the Aus bats sweeping. Best way of stopping the Indian spinners from getting on top.
I read that Renshaw got some advice on sweeping from Hayden; i’d take that any day.
What’s with the testing, Carl? You do this often. What is going on?
Test in Pune wrapped up inside three days. SOK with 12/70. Funny thing is, his first 9 overs went for 30 with nothing in the wickets column. So once he found his end and started putting the ball in the right spots consistently, it was 12 wickets in 115 balls, strike rate 9.6.
This tweet from Mitch amused me:
https://mobile.twitter.com/MitchJohnson398
Maybe Carl is having the same problem I was, Jack. I wondered why my phone would not update with the latest posts. Finally googled the method to clear cached data on an android phone (doesn’t have the refresh arrow). I have fixed the issue, but another way to do it was to make a post. Which may be Carl’s method?
It’s not an issue at this end but as I’ve said before, refreshing or reloading the page at ypur end is always sensible.
Further to that Jack, it may be worth noting that even on the Windows 10 fast laptop I have to refresh the screen before latest posts will appear. This has only started happening since the previous blog. I sort of got the feeling that the site was getting a little shaky. Hopefully not!!
Maybe Carl can’t get your site up JTI, he might not know you have to hit refresh to update. It’s been that way for only the last week.
Kind regards, Bella
Ok. I didn’t know that. At this end I always refresh before going through the posts. Half a dozen or so of you invariably fall into spam. Yours always end up there, Bella. Ditto HKJack and Milton. It’s no big deal. I send them through anyway but I wonder why and presume your security settings on your browser may not be high. I don’t know for sure and as I say it’s just a few more seconds to put your post up.
Absolutely Jack. For those with Android phones: Bring up your browser, Hit the menu (three vertical dots) at top right, choose Settings, Privacy, and then Clear browsing data. And all will be well!
Could be a one off. He does not turn the ball much and if U cannot turn it on that rigged/prepared spinners paradise U never will. Most Hindians got themselves out. Well done all the same. I am cheering and stomping. I think if we can win the toss and bat 1st in all tests we will win the series. Their fast bowlers are particularly good and the Hindians may be doing themselves an injustice by preparing crumbling wickets for spinners. I was very surprised by their pace and penetration.
Milton says:
FEBRUARY 25, 2017 AT 5:54 PM…this is the God’s Honour Truth…driving home from a gig once, I heard a test selector say Hayden would never play for Australia again because ‘he was not test batsman material and did not have the temperament to be an opener’. I have never forgotten it!! I think it was John Benaud. If I recall correctly Hayden had a slow start to his Test career.
Jack, the refresh button on all my appliances does the trick.
While we’re talking tech though, is there any chance you could get your techo to put in a down page arrow key? This would make it so much easier to start a new thread comment, or in my case go to the bottom of the blog and trawl through all the mad rants to my learned observations.
Cheers, hope you’re well.
Sorry about the unnecessary “testings” Jack. I think my old desktop PC has seen better days. In the process of upgrading.
No worries Carl
Been a problem for me as well. The page has only updated twice since last Monday. Surely all our cache(s) haven’t needed emptying at the same time. I had the same deal happening on a lap top and desk top and the desk top was a brand spanker so I think it maybe more than a one off problem.
I’ll have a look and a chat with the tech who set it up, Gryzly.
All these computer trouble. My Laptop is 11yrs old/Dell. On its THIRD keyboard. Still lightning fast running xP still-I refuse to change. I clean it out every mourning with Advanced System care/Malwarebytes and CC Cleaner…I dunno much about computers but most problems are caused by JUNK I think. I also use Your Uninstaller to get rid of stuff coz Windows leaves too much crap behind on uninstalls. Although I have not done a clean install of my operating system for 4yrs(I am running 30 programmes)it is good to do one every year or 6 months.
I like the new Bog format. Only problem I have is I cannot scroll in the body of the page….only from the side bar.
XP, Bassie. That takes me back.