Until the release of the new $10 note a few months ago, I'd never really thought about the colour of banknotes. I guess all the countries I've visited (except the USA) have had adequately different notes. But Australia's new note tore up my complacency, as I discovered that I couldn't tell it apart from the newish $5 note unless looking at the actual images and numbers on it.
...continue reading "Banking blind: new Australian notes are useless for the colour-blind"
Category: Thoughtful
LGBT+: It’s (still) a great time to be straight
Taiwanese courts last week opened the way for same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Of the well-functioning democracies in East Asia and Oceania, that leaves Australia in the company of socially conservative Japan and South Korea as the only ones who still haven't managed to respect their LGBT+ citizens' rights. Australia remains a nation of mostly gutless foot-dragging politicians who rarely manage to do more than follow by example. ...continue reading "LGBT+: It’s (still) a great time to be straight"
Lactose incontinent: Dairy industry claims “milk” is exclusively their word
Some relevance-seekers at a NSW dairy lobby group called Dairy Connect have decided that consumers are "confused" by all the non-dairy applications of the word "milk" and such supposedly misleading marketing should be banned. Consumers need to be able to make an "informed decision". My brain hurts just trying to imagine the conversations, presumably behind closed doors (and perhaps with padded walls and straitjackets), that led to this silliness. ...continue reading "Lactose incontinent: Dairy industry claims “milk” is exclusively their word"