A few months ago, in Melbourne, a pedestrian was killed by a cyclist while crossing the road. It was early on a Saturday morning, when the local cyclists were out on their morning ride. A friend told me that the cyclists on this ride are notorious for not obeying the roadContinue Reading
Lately, I’ve been finding out where the money that my son’s (state) school’s fundraising goes to. Last year, they spent $20,000 on consumables within the classrooms – folders, pencils, stickers, stamps etc. They spent $10,000 on library books, and $20,000 on building works. They’ve just got two new demountable classrooms,Continue Reading
We put up our Christmas tree this afternoon. Until we had children, we never bothered with a Christmas tree. There didn’t seem much point. The year Chatterboy was born, we bought a little completely artificial tree made out of fibre optics. But the year he turned two we decided thatContinue Reading
Inspired after reading Elsewhere‘s frequent cycling posts, and Jennifer (ponderosa’s) memories of mountain biking, I went mountain biking for the second time in my life on Tuesday, the south of New Zealand. I’m mostly over the bruised shins, and aching muscles in most parts of my body, so I can sayContinue Reading
I walked past an ad trying to find blood donors today. As a frustrated blood donor, it annoyed me. I used to be a vaguely regular blood donor. From the time that I turned 18 (and became eligible) to around 28, I would have given blood maybe once or twiceContinue Reading
After my previous post, and a few comments there, here’s some more detail on why I don’t think proper risk rated health insurance works particularly effectively for most people. (by the way, the US market, from what I understand, doesn’t have individual health insurance rating to any large extent; youContinue Reading
I went to Sculpture by the Sea on the weekend, and was pondering, as I walked past the Bondi Pavilion that some space that was once “public” (concrete in front of the Bondi Pavilion) was now “private” at least by some definitions – it’s a cafe. My local area hasContinue Reading
I’ve been pondering a mammoth post on health care for a while. I’m not sure if I’ve got it in me tonight. Or ever. So here’s a few thoughts. Mainly from my angle as an actuary who manages insurance companies for a living. Most places that try to privatize healthContinue Reading
I was watching TV tonight (commercial station – Channel 10 if you’re interested). They cut to a news break. The top stories were: Interest rates rise (0.5% increase in the Australian cash rate) The latest NSW parliamentary scandal (minister arrested for alleged teen sex) Britney Spears files for divorce Some storyContinue Reading
There’s a Heckler in the SMH today about how boring the Melbourne Cup is. Even though I have zero interest in the race, I find it quite a fun work interruption. One Tuesday in November, we all down tools, wander into the tearoom to watch TV for about 15 minutes,Continue Reading