Humble servant of the Nation

Aung San Suu Kyi in good company with appalling Nobel prize winners

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Forget the lotteries or a long shot quadrella. The easiest way to make a million dollars and earn the respect of your peers to boot is to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

The rules are invariably flexible. A winner has to do something ‘good’ within fairly broad confines of what good is but then can do a lot of stuff that is extremely bad. Or you can do many bad things early on and then do a little bit of good and next thing you know you’re standing on the stage at the Stockholm Concert Hall, smiling for the cameras with the presentation cheque in hand.

The 26th President of the United States, Teddy Roosevelt was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Before becoming president, the redoubtable Teddy was both Secretary of the Navy and the leader of the Rough Riders, a US volunteer cavalry outfit that saw action in the Cuban theatre of the Spanish-American War of 1898.

Teddy frequently charged ahead of his men and blasted away at anything that moved. He wrote a rather chilling piece of reportage where he spoke of his euphoria after killing his first man at the Battle of San Juan. Even his admirers, of which I am one, would acknowledge Teddy liked war a little bit too much.

Full column here.

332 Comments

  • Bella says:

    Dismayed, in reply to your comment on the Marine Park cutbacks, I’m still shocked that this ridiculous excuse for a government have ignored their own independent review. Instead they propose dramatically less zone protection, opening the door to destructive commercial fishing and worse, oil & gas giants in the GAB, Lord Howe & Perth Canyon to name just a few.
    The voice of the Australian people means SFA to these idiots and
    I weep for the irreversible damage they will be responsible for.

    • JackSprat says:

      Bella, when you decide that a country can be run on services, mining and agriculture in a drought prone country, all sorts of stupid decisions have to be made.

    • Dismayed says:

      Bella I am Dismayed at this government and its continued disregard of every piece of expert advice. I do however not share the same level of concern with you on the drilling in the GAB. I drilled there in 2003. the well was abandoned to due to the huge swells. But we have come a long way, rigs have been purpose built for the conditions and NOPSEMA the regulator showed by knocking back the Environmental plan of BP they expect the best efforts possible before drilling can take place. I have been involved in both Vessel Safety Case, Drilling plans and Environmental plans compilation. We rightly have some of the most stringent requirements and as I have said before those living on and making decisions on these vessels first priority is to ensure NO marine impact. In fact the biggest risk after Well Control is loss of station and fuel bunkering I would say they are actually more of a risk due to the weather, swells in the GAB. But we have triple redundancy in our Dynamic positioning very tight requirements on weather and types of hoses and fittings for bunkering. BOP’s are much more tightly maintained than previously. Please know when we drill in these areas our goal every second of day is to ensure no incidents. The incidents can lead lead to loss of life and environmental damage. I know this wont ease your concern much but some of us really do try to continue to improve how we do things.

      • Razor says:

        I get it Eddie! If you’re involved it’s OK……TALK ABOUT BLATANT HYPOCRISY!

        • Boadicea says:

          Same thought crossed my mind, Razor. But I really couldn’t be bothered to get involved
          It’s one sermon after the other at the moment.

        • Dismayed says:

          razor. No Drilling for Oil and Gas is clean and green compared to your dirty coal. We are the transition to the future you are the past We will then probably do wells for sequestration. See, we innovate you contaminate. HAHAHA

      • Boadicea says:

        What a load of self-righteous bollocks.
        Drilling for oil on the GBR is never okay.

        • Boadicea says:

          Sorry I read that as GBR. Realise it’s the GAB

        • Dismayed says:

          Yvonne, read it more closely the GAB is the Great Australian Bight. I agree NO drilling on the Great Barrier reef is a good thing. Having said that I was involved with wells only kilometres from Ningaloo reef that is in WA not QLD in 2015. Oh you never heard about that. No because it was a great performance by the team and NO Environmental damage occurred

      • Bella says:

        Thank-you for your thoughtful response mate.

        I mean no disrespect regarding your safety procedures however technical failures, possible negligent decisions and unexpected natural events do make oil exploration an undeniable risk in a pristine location like the GAB.
        These marine reserves have had protection for good reason so the government again puts dollars ahead of sense.
        Who knew they could stoop so low?

        That massive ecologically disastrous blowout that triggered the 2010 oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico will remain a constant reminder of the fallout when things go wrong.
        Leave it be.

    • Razor says:

      Lots more recreational fishing though Bella. Not all bad.

    • Trivalve says:

      Yes, like the hopeless mess that Bass Strait has been since the sixties.

  • Milton says:

    Well I got the ssm envelope and as i’m awake I made a conscious vote. It’s crossed and in the return envelope and ready to be posted tomorrow. I hope Burke and Hare have a great night with lots of red biddy and bobbing for apples (or whatever!).

  • Tracy says:

    Emails to Champions League footy tippers, round two is up albeit the first days fixtures should be fine for the full rubber in eight days.

  • Henry Blofeld says:

    “Rocketman”, Mr Insider, the new nickname POTUS Trump has given to Kim Jong-un as it becomes more obvious to all sweet Kimmie has the “hots” for firing Rockets! Kimmie may just be 80 cents short of a dollar.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlw1wpwojZ0

  • Boadicea says:

    Evidence of voting for something uninformed.
    British pensioners living in Europe have forced the UK government’s hand in continuing to pay them their pension even though they live in Europe.
    Brexit has so many hidden implications that nobody knew about.
    I had an interesting chat with an artist in his shop in one of the villages.
    He was very concerned about the loss of the European identity throughout Europe. Thought Australia had the right idea in shutting the door! (his words).

  • Huger Unson says:

    The Emmys! Jack?
    What, you didn’t? … You don’t?
    But, Jack, Nicole!
    @AlanKohler nominated Julie Bishop for “best supporting actress in a comedy series”.

  • Dismayed says:

    This is just one of the issues of the coalitions continued attacks on the working condition of Australians. Not happy with forcing down wages they continue to attack the super industry except for the under performing retail ones ( the Banks) The coalitions policies for decades has been to attack workers this is their self fulfilling prophecy. M. Cash must resign over her appointment of Hadgkiss. KOD also must resign she has a direct conflict of interest while accepting $hundreds of thousand$ in donations from her former Bank employer and continue to attack the best performing industry Super accounts because they may have a union member on board. Ideology over the national interest every time for the cons.
    http://www.theage.com.au/business/workplace-relations/100-billion-wipeout-one-in-four-workers-set-to-lose-from-wage-attacks-20170917-gyj18p.html

  • Jean Baptiste says:

    Mr Henry Blofeld Esq.

    Dearest Henry what joy it is to be once again blessed and captivated by your ebullient commentary. Last few times I looked someone had changed the locks so I have been compensating for the loss of the pleasure of your quaint gibberish with the next best thing.
    http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0021981/quotes

    Just kidding Enery, Jethro in no way compares, but I have missed you and all the larrikins and whether it becomes known to you or not (there may not be a great deal of grata for the persona about these here parts) I shall love youse all forever and be ever grateful for the fun and the many inspirations for my unpublishable and eminently actionable magnum dopus “The Lords of the Blogflies.”

    Hopelessly addicted I’m still cavorting disgracefully with my beloved Yankee and Brit humanists/anarchists even though I am appalled at their treasonous irreverence for the gospels according to the living Gods of Mammon. And worsely ashamed, still being regularly booted out of the mud wrestling with the Ayn Rand acolytes. Talk about a misspent dotage I’m having!
    Anyway my splendid fellow, Haven’t time to tarry, I’ll try at least to rejoin the fray later in the year or early next. My bestie on the peninsular beckons, fain craves my brilliant defence and foreign policy wisdom. “Balls to the wind my little fat friend, show weakness and you’re dead man, whop it up ’em!”
    Looking forward to a decent haircut, a round of golf and a good rocket polish.
    Thence with a fair wind and a spring tide I might just make it to that other “Camino”, but the rels are in desperate straits with the AGW biting hard, but if I do, in lieu of candles I will light a cigar for each and every one of youse. Que sera sera.

    Go placidly and above all take yourselves seriously. The Gods need the laughs!

    The Bap.

    Ooops! Regarding the subject! Be careful what you wish for.

  • Tracy says:

    Forgot the first ODI is on, poor start for India.

    • JackSprat says:

      The first hour or so was good to watch.
      Then it deteriorated into admiring how the Indians were handling our bowlers.
      Then it rained.
      Then in the morning it was a case of – well you don’t need to know.
      Apparently we were slow to bowl our overs by about 30 mins and that is taken into account with the DW system. From where I sat, the Indian batsmen contributed a few minutes of that. To score at 8 runs (or near enough) an over is a big task.
      When 7 batsmen get less than 10 and 5 of them get 5 or less, I am glad I did not stay up.

  • The Outsider says:

    The SSM question was simple and to the point.

    I like that, so I voted that day. It didn’t hurt that the post office is a two minute walk away.

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