Lili Wilkinson

RECOMMENDATION 1
The Government should repeal Australia’s Parallel Import Restrictions (PIRs)
for books. The repeal should take effect three years after the date that it is
announced.

RECOMMENDATION 2
The Government should, as soon as possible, review the current subsidies aimed
at encouraging Australian writing and publishing, with a view to better targeting
of cultural externalities. Any revised arrangements should be put in place before
the repeal of the PIRs takes effect.

What’s a cultural externality, I hear you ask? Well. Let’s see.

The consumption of culturally valuable books, and the ideas they contain, can help diffuse social norms. Where more people come to understand the unwritten rules of a society, their actions become more predictable or ‘trustable’ to others, facilitating social and economic exchanges… More generally, the reading of books of cultural value may help individuals to feel more connected to, and to be more productive within, particular social groups or the wider society, to the benefit of all.

…the ideas embodied in some books have had far reaching impacts. Most obviously, the core ideas that were embodied in books such as The New Testament, The Wealth of Nations, Mein Kampf and The Female Eunuch have had major impacts on how societies operate.

…another way that Australian books could generate external benefits is if they make Australia a more ‘marketable’ identity to the eyes of foreigners.

So basically, the only books that should be supported in Australia are a) “culturally valuable” books that make us better people (in a creepy Orwellian-sounding way) and b) books that Americans will want to read.

Here’s a couple of other choice excerpts:

It should be noted that while books are an important source of such educational benefits, they can also arise, for example, from (educational) television programming and, increasingly, from the internet.

and

In the Commission’s view, linking the amount of support to sales will generally be desirable.

To summarise: FAIL.

(you can read the full report here)

Here’s the latest entry in the “grownups are all bastards” file.

Residents of a Nottinghamshire housing estate have installed pink lights which show up teenagers’ spots in a bid to stop them gathering in the area.

And:

Yobs are being shamed out of anti-social behaviour by bright pink lights which show up their acne.
The lights are so strong they highlight skin blemishes and have been successful in moving on youths from troublespots who view pink as being “uncool.”
…
Manager Dave Hey said: “With the fluorescent pink light we are trying to embarass young people out of the area. “The pink is not seen as particularly macho among young men and apparently it highlights acne and blemishes in the skin.

(from this BBC story)

Nice, huh?

SPEAKING OF PINK

Stay tuned until tomorrow, when I shall reveal the cover of my next book! It is PINK and it is MADE OF AWESOME.

Isn’t it nice the way International Telecommunications Corporations make you feel loved?

I got a letter in the mail from Optus yesterday. It says, in very big letters:

We’re making your bill a little clearer

Oh good! Thinks me. How nice!

Then I read the rest.

This is how Optus are making my bill clearer:

1. My 8-digit customer account number is now 14-digits.
2. The heading “Usage Summary” is now the “Service Level Summary”.
3. The heading “Plan Options” is now “Discounts”.
4. All the BPAY codes have changed.

This is all.

NOT CLEAR.

(spoilers, but really, like you’re ever going to see it)

1. Jessica Alba had lots to do as the only woman in the film. Like… whinge about how her wedding keeps getting interrupted by having to save the world. And not quite be able to hold up the London Eye (resulting in a nosebleed). And… be sensitive and the catalyst for the Silver Surfer not to kill them all because she reminds him of his shiny silver girlfriend back home. Oh, and die.

2. The villain was awesomely cool. I mean, what could be cooler than the shiny silver guy from Terminator 2, with Laurence Fishburne’s voice (sounding a lot like Legion from Red Dwarf for all the geeks out there). ON A MAGIC SURFBOARD. (oh, except he’s not actually the villain. The villain is really The Nothing from the Neverending Story.)

3. The bit at the end where Ioan Gruffudd (Hornblower! What happened to you!? You went all blah!!) looks around at downtown Shanghai, looks at poor eat-a-burger Jessica Alba and says “This gives me an idea”. Cut to… them getting married… in Japan.

4. Julian McMahon’s success-fat.