I was listening to my ABC News and Guardian news podcasts this morning (26 Oct '23) and a few ironies struck me. Ironies. I mis-spoke. EFFING HUGE IRONIES I meant to say.
First up, the RBA. The ironic joke of the century, the impotent organ of greed, and about as useful as a chocolate teapot at High Tea.
They're Going To Have To Admit It Soon.
Here's the RBA after - what is it now, twelve months? - of raising the interest rate are scratching their heads and their butts, yawning, and about to realise that they're irrelevant to the actions of the economy and the hot tea's 99% melted their teapot.
They're going to have to say that as far as the Australian economy goes, they have zero effect whatsoever on it, The apparent "fact" that the economy has moved whenever the RBA made adjustments can be explained by the exact same mechanics that explain why gamblers can experience a "hot streak" or a "losing streak," why racing aficionados have a "system" that serves them for a decade and then suddenly it becomes apparent that tracking how many ass hairs each jockey has, had no actual effect on where the horses they rode placed in the field.
There's a really really great saying in science that says that "correlation does not equal causation" and I think the reserve bank is a living embodiment of pure dumb random chance over science. And pretty soon, they're going to have to own up to it.
Tobacconist Shops Ablaze. So To Speak.
It's been a weird part of Melbourne life for a few months now - tobacconist shops being set on fire. Apparently also a few of the arsonists setting themselves on fire. It's true, the arsonists are apparently using whatever materials and means at hand to set those fires, and at least one was caught on video setting themself on fire by accident. Sorry - don't have a link to that but I heard about it on the radio. And these mightn't be the sharpest tools in the shed.
But this - and also judging from the most recent story I came across about money laundering occurring in plain open sight and - finally - being properly investigated and prosecuted, that's also a bit of an indication that criminal organisations are ramping up activity.
Also - there was some buzz on the news about some illegal vapes and vape juices - probably sold out of those same tobacco shops - and hey as a personal anecdote the wife and I were at a discount shop a few years ago looking through a range of normal tobacco pipes when the shop owner approached us and offered to sell us a crack pipe. We have no idea to this day why an Asian import $2 shop was selling tobacco pipes, but the little glass sphere just blew us away. WTF?
The Biased Media
I saved the best until last. One of the articles I listened to came from the national radio service ABC, another from The Guardian. Both were podcasts, which I find a better way to consume the news. And they both had other things in common.
Each one was in the format of an interviewer throwing fairly pointed prompts at an interviewee.
And in each case the interviewee was also a member of the journalistic staff at the same media organisation.
Talk about the best way to get the exact story you want.
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