Mental Notes February 2016
WAROONA–Bush babies, bush fires and wedding bashes. Down south in West Australia.
ash
Taiwan’s generational change
It is the final week of typically boisterous campaigning leading to Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections on Saturday, where the embattled ruling Kuomintang is expected to be defeated in both, sparking its third democratic handover of power.
Irregular Vanuatu MPs ‘Cyclone Pam refund’ questioned
Vanuatu’s opposition leader has requested urgent clarification from the prime minister about why payments of 1 million vatu ($12,100) were distributed to the personal accounts of every opposition MP with the line item “TC Pam refund” this week.
HK umbrella movement one year on
One year on from the pro-democracy protests that brought Hong Kong to a standstill, organisers admit that China’s Communist leadership shows no sign of budging on reform, but a spark could reignite the movement.
Frost and drought wipe out PNG, Solomons highland crops
El Nino-driven drought and frosts in the normally tropical highlands in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands has brought Tasmania-like weather to the region, a regional administrator said.
‘Tigers’ snared by China’s anti-corruption campaign
Since his ascendency to general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in November 2012 and the presidency in March 2013, Xi Jinping has executed a sweeping anti-corruption campaign that has targeted hundreds of thousands of officials at all levels of government and state-owned industry.
Former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian released on medical parole
Taiwan’s ailing former president Chen Shui-bian has been freed from prison on medical parole after serving six years of a 20-year sentence for corruption during his presidency.
Mental Notes January 2014
MELBOURNE–We have a women’s cricketer in our midst. My old man cricket buddies on Australia Day were well impressed with 2-and-a-half year old Parker’s bowling to Bowie.
Mental Notes December 2013 page 2
WAROONA–Day 7: Happy Liam’s birthday.
What has Australia done to Nauru?
By Nic Mclellan. Originally posted in Overland, Spring 2013
