There are big weeks in Public Service-land and big weeks in PS News-land too, and this week just happens to be a ‘one too’ one!
This week, PS News publishes its 750th week of news and information for Australia’s Public Services.
For the past 750 weeks, Australia’s nine Public Services have enjoyed access to PS news and PS information delivered direct to their workplaces at no cost.
750 weeks or 1,875 months, 14.4 years, as well as about 50 computers, 10 printers, at least three IP providers as well as the mandatory website crashes, service failures and memory disasters, all of which combine to add excitement to the already challenge of publishing nine weekly newspapers.
It also represents more than 59,500 Public Service stories, every one of which is filed in the PS News archives for anyone to revisit now or forever at no cost.
And, while the 750 achievement is something to crow about, the roosters at PS News are boasting another major breakthrough this week with the revival of the PS News South Australia edition after a 6-year holiday.
SA’s PS News enjoyed 338 weekly editions up to the end of 2015 when it converted to the briefer version of PS News – ‘Professional PS News’ – while our partly-retired editor tried his hand at full-time retirement.
It didn’t take long for him to realise it wasn’t for him and he’s been reviving the full-time editions ever since. Welcome home South Australia!
And happy archiving everyone.
Name of the game
And as coincidence and fate would have it, the South Australian Department of Environment and Water has chosen this week to hit the heights of the PS-sssst! polemic with the wonderful news that the city of Adelaide plans to re-establish platypuses in the River Torrens as part of its push to become a National Park City.
While PS-sssst! wishes the city well on its platypussy project, our passion is with the paraphrase of the Department’s designation.
“Department of Environment and Water” as so many of us acronymists will appreciate is so appropriately acronymed as DEW!
It’s probably due to the water, more than the environment!
Mapping the bug
Staying in the world of acronymia no w where the Australian National University, the University of Queensland and a health research school have conspired to take acronymity to its creative limits, developing a national roadmap to indicate where the COVID bug is choosing to make its appearances.
Updated every hour and covering the entire nation, the new website heroically bears the tongue-tying title ‘COVID-19 Real-time Information System for Preparedness and Epidemic Response’, which translates to the very sharp CRISPER.
And crisp it is! Ready to be put to work at this PS News link.
Giving it away
To Rama Gaind’s almost 750th grand giveaway now with one very fortunate PS News reader winning the Blu-ray version of Aussie windsurfing classic Windrider starring Tom Burlinson playing hero P.C. and our own superstar Nicole Kidman playing rock singer Jade Kelly.
To be a Rama Winner, the lucky reader needed simply answer Rama’s quiz poser – who is P.C.’s arch-windsurfing rival in the movie? – correctly and then be first out of the PS News infamous Barrel of Booty where all the prizes live.
The answer was Coyote Phillips and the lucky first-out correct winner was Karlena L from the Australian Taxation Office.
Congratulations Karlena and thanks to everyone who took part. The Blu-ray movie will be on its way to its new owner very soon.
For another lucky chance to become a winner in the Rama Army simply chase down her giveaways with one or two popular prizes, one present in this Book The Rock: Looking Into Australia’s ‘Heart Of Darkness’ From The Edge Of Its Wild Frontier at this PS News link and/or another at her giveaway Book Getting It All Done (HBR Working Parents Series) at this link.
Good luck to everyone who puts their luck to work.
As they say, to win it, you have to be in it!
PS-ing to the PaSt!
And finally, for the sentimental historiacs amongst us, PS News has introduced a brand new service focusing on the brand old past, taking us back 10 years to the public services of 2011.
Cleverly titled ‘PS of the PaSt’ the feature transmits sentimental readers back to the PS PaSt, resurrecting long forgotten names dealing with long-forgotten policies and programs, and unveiling how far we’ve all gone in 10 long years.
Needless to say, some of us might need to take our own veils!
This week’s passage to the PaSt can be enjoyed at this PS News link.
Till next week…..
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