DOVER: “Be it jumping cannons, or postulating big bangs, it’s in the starlight, stupid!” shines P.L. Inkletter, adding “Oh, Be A Fine Girl - Kiss Me!”

Be all that as it may, meanwhile:

In other news…

11^th December 2009:

Friday: The first hints of the heat wave coming this weekend were loitering around today. I surfaced early afternoon, unable to sleep any more but badly needing to: story too often of my life.

Baby Inkletter called in for an hour or so for dressmaking, and even took her mother to the local shops. I put 1.4 Gb of Radio National mp3s onto her thumbdrive for her, and that’s only those that she’s asked me to get in the past month or so; the little cube (you can’t get squarer than a cube) didn’t fall far from the fatherly tree.

Later on I managed, after being ravished by the wanton woylie, to get some preparatory hand watering done of the bamboos ready for the heat.

The budding marathonista and I went for a walk about nine in the cool of the evening to the local park, despite both battling to keep our eyes open through Aunty’s early evening offerings, including our favourite The Collectors’ final episode for the year. I hope The Sydney Institute’s Gerard Henderson was sedated when he watched Kerry O’Brien do not one, but two infernal non-political interviews (how dare the journo!) – literary reviews as Henderson calls them – first with architect Frank Gehry, then with film director Peter Jackson on tonight’s 7.30 Report. In yesterday’s entry I noted Henderson’s feeble minded criticism of this mixture of politics, literature, and comedy, and I suggested he might try to align his mind more with the age of his body. I almost always thoroughly enjoy Mr O’Brien’s occasional relaxed interviews, as obviously he does, and I am not riven by the lack of fixity upon one genre only for The 7.30 Report’s focus. Henderson makes himself appear foolish by making it an issue – speaking of which, he waxes hysterical on this matter in Issue No. 38 of his Media Watch Dog, although I don’t recommend you waste your time.

The (Leigh) Sales Graph: Ms Sales was a portrayal of prettiness tonight on Lateline, sporting a fetching red bolero style top with stitched matching flowers along the neckline over a black camisole, flattering slightly flared hairstyle, ideally subtle effect make-up, tiny earrings, that trademark glow, and a delightful demeanour that put a dash of magic into her two in-studio interviews this evening.

First off was the locking of combs between two youngish cockerels of Canberra, Opposition Spokesman on Immigration Scott Morrison, and the Minister for Employment Participation Mark Arbib; these lads were smartly turned out, wisely – naturally – sporting dark suits, white shirts, and fairly unadventurous but acceptable ties, to complement their superlative grooming. This interview was more notable for the lighthearted and jovial vibe which permeated the 16 minute discussion than for anything of substance spilling from either of the pollies; in fact, this interview was as good as any Leigh Sales has done in the class which indicate that she is a downright nice person, in addition to her considerable interviewing abilities – I would be battling to identify a more unaffected journalist. Perhaps it was the approach of Christmas, the holidays, perhaps the chemistry with the two lads, but whatever it was, here was a relatively civilised and decidely agreeable encounter from the two sides of Australian politics, which engendered oodles of the the typical and predictable silly and false dichotomous ‘we are right, and your lot are wrong’ bombast, the usual black and white depictions and to hell with the greys, yet as I said, it managed to be very entertaining as well as pleasant.

We the faithful Aunty viewers were next treated with a tiny morsel of meat to balance the porridge just served, when Stephen Long gave us three and a bit minutes of his wisdom: The (Stephen) Long and Short of It: Ms Sales welcomed – with her trademark sincerity plus a glint of mischief – my favourite economics journalist, who was his usual excellent statement of grooming, choosing a subtle striped white shirt as somewhere to knot his lilac tie, perimetered by his trademark dark suit jacket; does he wear trousers for these late Friday night trysts in the Ultimo studios of the ABC? – I guess we will be left guessing; I do have it on good authority that his Mum tousles his gorgeous curly hair most every day, causing extra work for the make-up slaves doing their best to add that little bit extra to what nature provides our Aunty’s on-air staff; as I was saying, Mr Long was welcomed with a request to share what he made of Senator Barnaby Joyce’s remarks today on U.S.A. debt and Chinese investment in Australia.

While I agree with Mr Long that it is very unlikely that the North Americans would formally default on their national debt, however, there is more than one way to give medicine to a cat, including up its backside. The debt position of the U.S.A. is horrendous, to put it bluntly, and only great pain for its citizenry can and will come during the eventual prosecution of its solution, as well as the millions upon millions of people internationally who owe their prosperity to the trading transactions and tourism of the Yanks. The basics are no different to those for a heavily overindebted family. Before we in Australia think it doesn’t affect us, that is not so, for even our national, business, and personal debt levels, as comparatively proportionally small as they are in toto, are vastly beyond what is prudent, and our thrifty forefathers would be turning in their graves to know how we have come to live on credit to such an alarming extent. Also, an economically gravely ill ally of the stature of the U.S.A. is no laughing matter for us.

I think Mr Long’s suggestion of the possibility of the U.S.A. having to buy its own bonds to help raise the unprecedented trillions of credit it needs on top of the unprecedented trillions it already is in hock up to its eyeballs with owed internationally, is not so far fetched at all, and a certain terrible controlled economic pandemonium could easily flow from this: take the huge devaluation of their currency alone that would inevitably occur on top of the well established downward spiral it is already on towards the gurgler; an extremely low value greenback would force the nation to become small international spenders (savings would gain real momentum), and flood the global market with ultra cheap U.S. exports: now wouldn’t that be an interesting turn of events, with profound effects upon the economies of many nations?

As always, Mr Long was a font of wisdom well worth listening to, and the chemistry between him and Ms Sales in their all too short minutes once a week was as delightful as ever. And don’t leave without catching a glimpse of Ms Sales’ outfit tonight.

About 3 a.m. I could be found walking the streets of the local suburb, listening to my favourite talking book, before returning to write and research till well after daybreak.

+paytontedwithlove+