Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Employers Too Picky Says Bigtime Recruiter

I've long suspected this.

According to a report in AdNews the candidate shortage in marketing and advertising roles can be blamed on employers themselves.

The most recent forecast by Hays Recruiting put the finger on 'the choosy nature' of employers.

Hays' Grahame Doyle told AdNews:
"Employers are very particular aboutthe specific skills set required for each role, which is creating demand for specific skills rather than for generic roles. Employers also seek candidates with experience in their sector, and in most instances are unwilling to comporomise on this factor."
And here's the no brainer...
"While they are being precise about their requirements, Doyle said employers will have to be more flexible if they want to fill in roles. "You can't have an endless list of criteria," he said.
Exactly. Stop asking applicants stoopid questions and just give them the job THEY CAN DO, damnammit!

But I Want An Interesting Job

It's Great When Yer Straight, Yeah

In my past life as a music hack I interviewed all sorts of boring rock twits. Pity I didn't get to speak to addict savant, Mr Shaun Ryder. The Times' Pete Paphides did.
"ARE we going to get any sense out of Shaun Ryder today? For ten minutes, it’s touch and go. Only half an hour late, he saunters into his local pub, removes his sunglasses and embarks on a rambling monologue about the grim industrial landscape that surrounds us: “Look at the smog! And the factories. And rats the size of cats! Everything smells of old eggs! Yer cannae get it out your nostrils!”

It’s not so much that the words don’t make sense, rather the broad Glaswegian accent in which the Mancunian delivers them, and the fact that Hadfield, League of Gentlemen country on the edge of the Peak District, has no factories. Cat-sized rats are also conspicuous by their absence."
Full story in The Times Online.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Ask A Stupid Question

Couldn't get enough of watching the cable news reporting on the hurricane last night.

Was it only me hoping to witness a flying sheet of metal decapitate one of those mucho on-the-spot reporters?

It didn't happen.

BUT....

If only I caught this lovely bit of dumb journalist zen which did happen on Fox News earlier today.
REPORTER SHEPARD SMITH: You’re live on FOX News Channel, what are you doing?

MAN: Walking my dogs.

SMITH: Why are you still here? I’m just curious.

MAN: None of your fucking business.

SMITH: Oh that was a good answer, wasn’t it? That was live on international television. Thanks so much for that. You know we apologize.
And here's the footage: The Political Teen » Live on FOX: Man Says “None of Your Fucking Business” (VIDEO)

Saturday, August 27, 2005

There's a Fine Line

Just back from the football. Crap. At least the season's over now.

But the night wasn't all that bad. Before the footy, I went to see Martha Wainwright do an instore at Readings in Carlton. Farkin brilliant.

If you haven't got Martha Wainwright tickets yet.... Ohmygorrr. She was incredible.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

So You Wanna Be Iraq Star

Iraq's version of Idol isn't called Iraqi Idol. Instead it's called Iraq Star.

Genius.

According to Alertnet "the studio set is spartan and drab, and there is no studio audience, though viewers are being promised tinseltown touches when the finale is held in Beirut."

And the judges are as picky as their Western counterparts.

One singer was recently berated for his singing about a dead bird, "You didn't prepare the song well. 'Slaughtered bird' is masculine, but you kept saying it in the feminine!"

Reuters AlertNet - Iraq "Pop Idol" offers escape from daily grind

Hammer Anvil And The World Bank Out Of Congo, The I Told You So Edition

At last the World Bank's insurance policy with Anvil Mining is being spoken about in the media (well, only the ABC) and officially investigated by the World Bank.

This website was the first asking questions as to why the World Bank approved their insurance deal with Anvil.

In an unpublished(!) letter to The Age on June 7, I wrote:
"Anvil's building of a small primary school and health clinic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, bragged about by the Anvil president, Bill Turner in the 4 Corners report are mandatory to ensure their newly approved insurance policy taken with the World Bank insurance agency, MIGA."

More importantly asked:

"Why and how did this arm of the World Bank approve "Political Risk Insurance" to Anvil only last month? (May). Surely the World Bank would have had some intelligence there was a question mark on the West Australian's potential link to the killings in Kilwa, last year."

And argued:

It is irresponsible for the World Bank to encourage any further mining in volatile countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Only today, over three months since my unpublished letter, the deal between the World Bank and Anvil is being looked at and an investigation asking my exact questions is being described as Paul Wolfowitz's first great challenge in his new role as World Bank chief.

I rewrote and published my letter here at The Nightwatchman, where I'm proud it was read by a couple of hundred of people from around the world including people based in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the ABC.

It only took a couple of hours of googling and reading Anvil and the World Bank's websites to make the connection between the two bodies. I find it quite surprising journalists and especially those at The Age who had access to my letter not to make the connections between them.

I've written a TOLD YOU SO letter back to The Age.

Let's see if that gets published.

Monday, August 22, 2005

What Shall I Be? The Exciting Game Of Career Girls



From my careers site, But I Want An Interesting Job.

Getting good career advice has always been a tough gig. In 1966 the task was made so much easier for the ladies with the release of this terrific board game.

According to Bradley's Almanac, the blog which found the game in a mate's closet, the aim of the game is to be the first player to become either but only a teacher, actress, nurse model, ballerina or airline hostess.

And here's what badness can happen if you happen to pick up a bad chance card.
You are clumsy. Bad for Airline Hostess, Ballet Dancer, Model and nurse.
You get too excited. Bad for Airline Hostess and Nurse.
You are overweight. Bad for Airline Hostess, Ballet Dancer, and Model.
You don't speak clearly. Bad for Teacher and Actress.
Your make-up is too sloppy. Bad for Airline Hostess and Model.
You are a slow thinker. Bad for Airline Hostess and Nurse.
You have pox. Bad for Nurse, Airline Hostess and Model.
bradley's almanac

Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Adopt a Chicken Today!

Cold Feet's Helen Baxendale reckons you should adopt a chicken.

While you're in the mood to save the world, check out Stir. It's the site I did a lot a stuff on for World Vision.

Monday, August 15, 2005

100 Rock Documentaries Piled Into The Lyrics Of One Song



Was blown away by Clint Eastwood's Piano Blues.

At last a music doco without superlative spoutin' experts. Just the
music mam.

Excellent stuff by Oscar Peterson, Pinetop Perkins, Otis Span,
Count Basie, Dr John, Dave Bruebeck, Fats Domino, Monk, and too
many others. Even more impressive was how sixty years of
footage could be seemlessly mixed into a ten minute, hip shakin'
earth quakin' boogie. Yep, technical boffin-ry made good.

Yes, I do spend a lot of time watching music documentaries. And
I'm here to tells ya, none will come close to explaining music's
power like the music itself.

Fat bearded, music critic blokes, friends of the family, Berkely riot
footage and songs cut just as they get interesting make me want
to throw up.

Which brings us to Paul Simon's Graceland. Listen hard to the
words and you get the history of American music, all in under
five minutes.

Here's a bit...

The Mississippi Delta was shining
Like a National guitar
I am following the river
Down the highway
Through the cradle of the civil war

I'm going to Graceland
Memphis Tennessee
I'm going to Graceland
Poorboys and Pilgrims with families
And we are going to Graceland

And my traveling companions
Are ghosts and empty sockets
I'm looking at ghosts and empties
But I've reason to believe
We all will be received
In Graceland

Junket . Yum!

Two lovely(?) recipes from one of my grandmother's handwritten cookbooks.

Louie's Junket Ice Cream
Junket of 1 pint milk. Add 3/4 cup sugar and flavouring when just set and beat well. Bet in 1 cup cream. Freeze to mush and rebeat and freeze. Try peppermint essence and chocolate sauce.

Condensed Milk Ice Cream
1 level teaspoon gelatine
1 tablespoon hot water
2 1/2 cups milk
1 dessertspoon sugar
4 tablespoon condensed milk
1 junket tablet in 1 tablespoon water
Vanilla
Bring milk, condensed milk to boil. cool to luke warm. Ad gelatine dissolved in hot water and make junket. When set, freeze to a mush. Add vanilla, beat well till twice the bulk and refreeze.

Monday, August 08, 2005

Top Eleven Baby Names In Today's Herald Sun

1 Mackenzie Jorja
2 Logan
3 Jamison Gage
4 Jaimes Alexis
5 Zoe Isobelle (no she's not!)
6 Ruby Jayne
7 Jazmyn Audrey
8 Maxsim Edward
9 Romily Margaret
10 Ebony Leigh
11 Scarlett Madison

Special mentions to the other Mackenzies; Mackenzie James and Mackenzie Rose and to the sister of Tayleb and Jydden who hasn't yet been given a name. May I suggest Billie Shae or perhaps Tahlia Sienna?

Yes, these names do appear in the birth notices of today's Herald Sun. True dinks.

The Best Movie I've Never Seen


cola, candy, chocolate, originally uploaded by Beltza Scene.

This film's got everything!

Reminds me of Ralph Waldo Emerson's great poem:

Milk, milk,
Lemonade.
Turn around,
And chocolate's made.
One of the many Spanish porno posters on Beltza Scene's Flickr collection and originally found at the world's most essential blog, Boing Boing.

Friday, August 05, 2005

Why Does Australia Refuse to Grow Up? Canada's New GG Not Elderly White Man



Not only that, unlike Australia's Governor General Michael Jeffery, Canada's Michaelle Jean is not a dimwit.

Before taking up the post, the Haiti-born, award winning journalist ran a womans' shelter in the 1980's and also was a Literature Professor at the University of Montreal.

Just before you think, 'ah journalist...Eddie', Jean is fluent in five languages: English, French, Italian, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

While Eddie McGuire is not yet fluent in English.

Michaelle Jean is taking over the post from Adrienne Clarkson. Another woman!

Michaelle Jean's Wikipedia entry

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

My Gun Was Bigger Than Me

Real stories from Human Rights Watch.
"They gave me pills that made me crazy. When the craziness got in my head, I beat people on their heads and hurt them until they bled. When the craziness got out of my head I felt guilty. If I remembered the person I went to them and apologized. If they did not accept my apology, I felt bad."
- a 13-year old former child soldier from Liberia

"They beat all the people there, old and young, they killed them all, nearly 10 people... like dogs they killed them... I didn't kill anyone, but I saw them killing... the children who were with them killed too... with weapons... they made us drink the blood of people, we took blood from the dead into a bowl and they made us drink... then when they killed the people they made us eat their liver, their heart, which they took out and sliced and fried... And they made us little one eat."
- Peruvian woman, recruited by the Shining Path at age 11

"One boy tried to escape [from the rebels], but he was caught... His hands were tied, and then they made us, the other new captives, kill him with a stick. I felt sick. I knew this boy from before.We were from the same village. I refused to kill him and they told me they would shoot me. They pointed a gun at me, so I had to do it. The boy was asking me, "Why are you doing this?" I said I had no choice. After we killed him, they made us smear his blood on our arms... They said we had to do this so we would not fear death and so we would not try to escape. . . I still dream about the boy from my village who I killed. I see him in my dreams, and he is talking to me and saying I killed him for nothing, and I am crying."
- Susan, 16, abducted by the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda

Know More.

Human Rights Watch
World Vision's brand spankin' Stir site
Reuters Alertnet

Monday, August 01, 2005

My Jeff Kennett Letter In Saturday's Age Gets Tandberg Cartoon


kennett, originally uploaded by glennpeters.

Yay!