• "All of the companies doing the digging have historically paid royalties to the states. But these were woefully small which is why Kevin Rudd as prime minister decided to impose a 40 per cent super profits tax on all mining and petroleum companies on the realized value of the resource deposits they extracted. As history shows, Julia Gillard renegotiated the tax with a handful of the big miners, after she ousted Mr. Rudd. The result is a 22.5% MRRT on a handful of iron ore and coal companies whose resource profits tip $50 million per annum." Why why why? Why wasn't this changed back to the original 40% in the budget? Nothing to lose, everything to gain! Big big disappointment. Thanks Monica for this piece. - Annie Also
  • I feel that these celebrity endorsements of products must be very successful with a large number of people. Years ago, women's magazines used to be quite interesting, and covered many diverse topics. Nowadays, those which I find, or am given, are at least three quarters full of celebrity gossip, which does not interest me at all. Obviously, the large numbers of people who buy these periodicals are greatly influenced by what these celebrities do and wear, and are very likely to be influenced by celebrity endorsed merchandise. Years ago, I looked after an 86 year old actress, who had beautiful skin. When I asked her what she used, she said Sorbolene and witch hazel! I have since read that dermatologists recommend sorbolene as the best skin cream and that is all I have used since! I gave up using the witch hazel, when I considered it quite expensive for my budget. I recently found some lipsticks in a local pharmacy for $2. These actually last longer than much more expensive brands. A high percentage of the price of high profile brands is the advertising. If they need to advertise so widely, I wonder whether the products really are superior to cheaper goods. No celebrity endorsement would persuade me to buy anything. If a star is wearing an item of clothing which I like, I will try to make myself something similar, but wouldn't ever be persuaded to buy it. The same goes for grocery items. I find the generic brands are excellent, and I take no notice of the advertisements or celebrity endorsements! - Annamargaret
  • You can also buy mining company shares on the ASX. Instead of putting your money in poker machines or deposit your money safely in one of the big 4 banks, you could also invest in an Australian mining company, maybe you'll get someof those dividends or maybe the mining company will go broke. That is the risk, if you don't want to take the risk then don't complain about those that do. - David mining investor
  • Celebrity endorsements are really nauseating. The Swisse one...goodness me..what a crock. My thirteen year old daughter watches it with incredulity knowing our Nic is botoxed up and it ain't vitamins that give her youthful looks. It's easy to portray peaceful whimsy if you can't move your face! It's so embarrassing. Mind you I'm a bit of a non-conformist so celebrity endorsements just make me feel contrary! - Rebe
  • Just remembered, I have fallen foul of the 'celebrity endorsement,' once ... when I was about 16/17. I lived on TAB for about a year after watching a then unknown Elle McPherson come out of the surf and not do a panicked scramble for her beach towel. First time, last time. And the product worked. I was divinely thin, a bit of my hair fell out from malnutrition but there's always a compromise, right? - Gee
  • Don't watch ads but I saw the big photo of Brad Pitt at the perfume counter in David Jones and wondered what he was doing there LOL - Rhoda
  • Citing either The Australia Institute or the Greens as a fact-checker is precarious given that they are committed to either the winding down or closure of mining. An August 2011 analysis by the Reserve Bank of Australia calculates that through direct labour costs (around 10 per cent of total mining operational revenue), the mining industry’s demand for domestically sourced intermediate inputs especially services (perhaps around 25 per cent of total revenue), tax and royalty payments (close to 15 per cent of total revenue in recent years), and the share of the after-tax profits owned by Australian residents (around 5–10 per cent of total revenue) suggests that overall, Australian residents accrued a little over half of the total receipts earned from current mining operations. This finding is consistent with the actual company data for spending across Queensland that can be found at www.queenslandeconomy.com.au. - Gary Doggett
  • So true Carole/m, and wasn't it nice to know that Gina was in Parliament with all the 'rent-a-crowd' on Thursday night to cheer on Rupert's boy Tony. I wonder if Gina provided the champers for the dinner afterwards to celebrate his "brilliant" speech. Seems the exhilaration ended badly for Peta Credlin. - JoanneH
  • Nice try Lynda , just a couple of problems looming for " Ruperts Boy" . He's about to find himself in court with compliments of David Etteridge & if he's got the guts to hold himself to his own standards, he'll have to stand down . Wouldn't want to have his tainted vote in the Parliament would we. Brough , Pyne , Bishop , Hockey and others are about to be investigated regarding the Ashby Conspiracy . So much for corruption . - Carole/m
  • I'll have what they're having :) - Jillm
 
Categories:  Books, Entertainment, Must see, The Book Shelf

THE HOOPLA LITERARY SOCIETY

“On those occasions when I decide I am a bad writer, that I cannot string two words together, that Stephen and Jo must have been mad to accept my story, that I should simply take up house painting (or pole-dancing) full-time, and that the writing police are about to tap me on the shoulder and denounce me as a fraud, I will remember this day and think maybe, just maybe I am doing something right.”
~Speculative fiction writer Angela Slatter on winning the Bristish Fantasy Award


It’s an eclectic mix in this week’s Hoopla Literary Society. We have women’s fiction, horror, an Australian classic, poetry, chick-lit and young adult fiction.

What do they all have in common? Quality, of course! I’ve also been trying to squeeze in reading The Casual Vacancy in those five minutes I have spare (yeah right). Who’s finished it? What did you think? There’s so many great books and bookish news to share, I’m going to stop chatting and get stuck into it. Enjoy!

 

Love Anthony, by Lisa Genova

“She holds up the cardboard envelope from David next, staring at it for a long time moment before carefully tearing the tab and upending it.

Three white, round, perfectly smooth rocks fall into her lap. She smiles. Anthony’s rocks. And three of them. She shakes the envelope. There aren’t any more. He would’ve liked that there were three and not one or two or four. He loved things that came in threes. The Little Pigs, One-Two-Three-Go, Small- Medium- Big. Of course, he never said the words to her, Mom, I like the “Three Little Pigs” story. But she knew.

She rolls the three small rocks in the palm of her hand, enjoying the cool, smooth feel of them. When she’s done with the mail, she’ll add them to the glass bowl on the coffee table already containing at least fifty more of Anthony’s white round rocks. A shrine in a bowl.
Anthony wouldn’t have liked his rocks in Olivia’s bowl on the coffee table, however. He preferred them lined up like perfectly straight rock parades on the floor, all over the house.

Heaven forbid Olivia should clean up and put his rocks back in his box in his bedroom. But sometimes, she couldn’t help herself. Sometimes she simply wanted to walk through the house and not kick through a rock parade. Sometimes she simply wanted to walk through a normal house. It was always a huge mistake. They didn’t live in a normal house. And change, however small, was never Anthony’s friend.

She peeks into the envelope and sees a folded piece of stationery.

Found these three under the couch.

Love, David.”

 

Olivia and David’s marriage crumbles after the death of their autistic son, Anthony. Years of anguish, of love unreturned by a child who cannot speak, avoids eye contact and hates to be touched is brought to a close by a seizure and with Anthony’s death dies all Olivia’s hope.

Grieving, Olivia goes to live in their holiday house on the island of Nantucket, a place of happier memories, to escape the reminders of Anthony’s short life as much as the pity from family and friends.

Her neighbour on Nantucket is Beth who moved to the island when she married Jimmy. Fourteen years and three daughters later, Beth discovers Jimmy is having an affair and throws him out of the house. Her emotions are on high alert as she struggles through feelings of anger, remorse, hatred mingled with love and regret for what Jimmy has done to their family.

But Beth also examines her life and wonders what became of the girl who had moxie, went skinny dipping and wanted to be a writer.

Beth knows nothing of Olivia’s recent tragedy or why she is on the island. When she finds an old journal in the attic and starts to write a story based on a little boy she saw lining up rows of white pebbles at the beach a few summers ago, never could she have imagined the impact that story could have on her and Olivia’s lives.

Love Anthony is a warm and compassionate tale about how to make sense of having an autistic child and finding love and meaning in a relationship that is almost completely one sided.

It’s also about loss and grief, guilt and betrayal, and the value and importance of friendship. Lisa Genova has written an intelligent empathetic novel that still manages to shine a strong light on the harsh realities of living with a disabled child. An absolutely worthwhile read.

You can read an extract of Love Anthony HERE.

Plus, enter for your chance to win a copy for yourself HERE!

 

The Blake Poetry Prize

Last night the shortlist for the prestigious Blake Poetry Prize was announced.

First held in 2008, the Blake Poetry Prize encourages Australian poets to engage in the dialogue between religion, spirituality and poetry. Past winners include Robert Adamson, Tasha Sudan and John Watson.

From a field of 454 entries, seven have been shortlisted for the $5,000 prize.

Congratulations to the following poets for making the shortlist.

David Bunn Once Upon a Time in the Rockies
Christopher (Kit) Kelen Celan
Graham Kershaw Altar Rock
David Musgrave Nine Crab Barn
Geoff Page Horseback
Mick Ringiari Redemption
Carmel Summers Breathing

 

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4 Responses to this article

  1. Shepard October 5, 2012 Reply
     
     

    Congrats Angela!

     
    • Angela Slatter October 6, 2012 Reply
       
       

      Thanks, all!

       
  2. Pam Newton October 5, 2012 Reply
     
     

    Fabulous news about the fabulous Angela Slatter. Well deserved, may it be the first of many.

    And the centenary edition of The Silver Brumby!!!! Oh my, that takes me back. They were the books of my childhood.

     
  3. Laura Boon October 5, 2012 Reply
     
     

    I haven’t started The Casual Vacancy yet because I have to read The Mystery of Mercy Close first. And now I want to read Love Anthony too. There so many good novels by women available at the moment.

     

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  • Annie Also: "All of the companies doing the digging have historically paid royalties to the states. But these were woefully small wh...

  • Annamargaret: I feel that these celebrity endorsements of products must be very successful with a large number of people. Years ago, ...

  • David mining investor: You can also buy mining company shares on the ASX. Instead of putting your money in poker machines or deposit your money...

  • Rebe: Celebrity endorsements are really nauseating. The Swisse one...goodness me..what a crock. My thirteen year old daughte...

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