Well, the Australian of the Year has been announced and he seems to be moderately worthy, I guess. Some kind of scientist involved in some kind of ... science. Good for him. Still, I would have preferred it be me, or maybe Wanyi, Ellie, Bonnie, or Viv, or Eileen, or Richard, or Penny, or Coral, or Siobhan, or Jordy, or Sarah, or Florence, or my brother Laurie, or my nephew James, or Ivy Rose, or Heidi, or Deb, or Sarah or Katie . I really don't know what is wrong with these judges. What were they thinking? It will take a long, long time to fix up Australia, that's for sure.

The winner, after me and my brother Laurie, should have been our nephew, James Fitzpatrick.

Australia can do very well in the world but only if China does very well. That's a truth. We should arrange our views to gel with reality rather than with rhetoric and racism.

It is interesting to note that it was China who first said "Trump will win" not based upon what was good or bad for China, but simply based upon the highest quality scientific analysis of the situation. They are doing this all the time, analysing every country, but mostly analysing China. They have more people, and much brighter people, analysing the Australian economy than Australia has. They know what is coming for Australia because they have bothered to invest in knowledge rather than in political rhetoric...and they make very good decisions based upon their analysis rather than upon our outlook, or what we say or what we do in the short, medium, or long term. Because they have this massive amount of knowledge about us, it may be useful, for Australia, to be close to them rather than to plan how to bring them down. They don't need us, but we as a small people, do need them...and we do need their knowledge. You don't get that knowledge by having a US Military Strike force based in Darwin with the sole purpose of stopping China trading ...with us.... That's not how you do business with China. America, as the only Super Power on earth, can fuck around with China, for sure, but we can't do that because we are not a world super power. We are where we are, an entire nation with a population less than one major Chinese city.

Noting Mr Obama's comment about rural Americans...'they cling to their guns and their bibles...' the kind of thing any hip 21st century cerebral city person would say, and it's true. Still, they clung to their guns and their bibles, and they won. Because they won, with America being the only Super Power there is, the world will change a bit. Some folk will like it and some folk won't.

Not having cable/foxtel tv here by choice, it is interesting how my news-seeking habits have changed. I still haven't resorted to watching Australian television but have found the internet quite useful in just updating things as days go by. One of the truths underlying the massive global '24 hour news cycle' in all the news broadcasters, is that there's not really many people there at all. Stories are bought by one source from another etc...much cheaper than having reporters yourself etc, or investigating anything.....and on it goes. Without access to TV CNN or Fox or BBC you do miss out on a lot of talking heads sprouting rhetoric and various dooms etc, but you don't really miss out on anything of importance...except how important each news service keeps saying it is. Concerns about fake news? I'd suggest about 90% of it is always fake, because fake is cheaper...and people prefer it.

I think that in the great scheme of things, as you get older, you start to like yourself more. No one else has to. You just end up being yourself as best you can be yourself. This is one of the very satisfying things about not knocking oneself off at 18...although, if you really want to, of course you can, no harm done. It isn't a race. The rest of the life-demands on the individual, be they physical, mental or spiritual, are simply someone else's demands of us, and as usual, always advertising for some kind of profit to them. Find your own way. That's the only way. Don't worry about Meaning, it comes and goes, like the breeze. You mean as much, if not more, than anyone who has ever ever lived. That comes with you being you. It is granted in that brief light and warmth of mortal conception. You belong.

I really have my doubts about the usefulness of paranoia related to the internet. Is there anyone who really wishes to steal the identity of a 63 year old nurse? Is there anyone really interested in taking on my debts? Come on! Give yourself a break. Get out more. Give yourself a fucking chance.