Sunday, October 04, 2009

the news

(I wrote this on Friday)

Today’s paper was full of ghastly things, and I don’t just mean horror quake/tsunamis in Samoa and Indonesia, etc, but also the news that Hey Hey it's Saturday might be back for good (i.e. for evil). The Age’s education reporter Miki Perkins says on page 3 that ‘Over the next five years a quarter of senior academics will retire and those who remain will work longer hours than their international colleagues, according to a study to be released today at Melbourne University.’ I look back to a decade ago when I, just starting on my academic career, was told that ‘the old people’ would soon be retiring. Those bastards never go anywhere (some of them are lovely bastards, too, by the way though of course some are just bastards).Also I see Jon Stevens is responding badly to recent heart surgery. It will be interesting to see if JS’ reputation undergoes any kind of resuscitation in the light of this news. Personally I like him, and I think that the casting of him as a music industry tart is quite unfair, not just considering the fact that either everyone in the music industry is a tart or everyone isn’t. I wouldn’t have joined INXS myself, and I think INXS are rather tasteless in their decision, taken poorly every day, to continue post-Hutchence. But Stevens is a decent bloke as far as I can tell. I suppose on the other hand it is nonsensical and foul for me to spend this much column inches on someone who hasn’t even died, and just passingly remarking on thousands who did, violently and horribly, a few days ago in Australia’s near neighbourhood. Perspective. It’s hard to come by at this point. I am en route to visiting a friend in hospital with cancer. One of my students died, apparently by his own hand, a few days ago.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

omg, enough death! I come here for the beagles!

iODyne said...

Your student has found the peace sought, and may your friend recover well and soon.
The pups look happy in the pic above - a credit to you.

Anonymous said...

Fyi,we just come here for the beagles. You are the go-to-beagle man. That should be enough.
stephen

Vera Di Campli San Vito said...

Beagles rock. I bloody well SHOULD come here for the beagles! Jeez, Dave, no wonder you've got bags under your eyes. It's true, everyone I know, including myself, are having their ups and downs. Strange times. Just wanted you to know that the brilliant and lovely Miki Perkins used to work as a casual at the Melb Uni Bookshop. I bumped into her for the first time in ages at Tony Birch's book launch in the Alan Gilbert Building last week. I didn't even realise she'd been working for the Age for three years. Argh!

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