With the arrival of the COVID vaccination on Australian soil this week PS-sssst! wonders if it’s asking too much for a second vaccination to be added to it to relieve the suffering many of us have from the overused and under–accurate description of the vaccination injection as a’ jab!’
For some inexplicable reason, ‘jab’ has taken over from ‘shot’ or ‘injection’ to describe the infusement of the vaccine as if it’s a friendlier, less frightening nick-name for the practice that some among us are fearfully unnerved by.
Could it be they are much happier sitting still for the quicker, shorter and friendlier sounding ‘Jab’ to receive the exact same vaccination but in a seemingly more sympathetic and less painful way.
Such a shame Mr Oxford describes a ‘jab’ as nothing of the sort.
According to the expert lexicographer to ‘jab’ is to “poke roughly”.
And just for the injection record, PS-sssst! doesn’t fancy being ‘poked’, whether it be roughly or any other way!
Commissioning!
To NSW now where the State’s Commissioner of Police considered for a short time joining the management board of the National Rugby League as a way of short-circuiting the seemingly constant parade of young rugby league players in trouble with the law.
As far as looking like a clever solution to a troublingly problem was concerned, the proposed remedy seemed to have its benefits but was abandoned, possibly because the State’s top policeman is a ‘Commissioner’ and in Australia’s system of Government, ‘Commissioners’ are more than just public servants.
Appointed by the Queen and reporting to the Parliament, the nation’s Commissioners are entrusted with independence and powers over and above departments, agencies and politicians, ‘committed’ to carry out their duties with the interests of the Australian public front and centre.
It is this age-old practice that sees, for example, a Taxation Commissioner levy taxes that Ministers, politicians and everyone in the nation have no choice but to pay; where a Police Commissioner has the power to arrest anyone from the Governor-General down; and where Public Service Commissioners have the sole role of developing and managing a public service that brings to life the decisions of Parliament without interruption or intrusion.
While rugby league would certainly have benefited from the NSW Police Commissioner’s contribution, his duty to the Queen and Parliament will always come first.
But, as they say in rugby league: It was worth a ‘Try’.
Giveaway going now
To Rama’s popularly prominent gifty giveaway now in which three lucky readers will win free copies of the engaging comedy DVD Never Too Late starring Jackie Weaver, Jack Thompson and Dennis Waterman playing a band of aged care patients plotting to break out of their nursing home.
To be among Rama’s army of winners all we needed to do was tell her the name of the character played by James Cromwell, that being the group’s fearless leader, Bronson.
And so it was with that information that the first three readers emerged from the PS News Barrel of Booty were Phillipa J from the ACT Public Service’s Access Canberra, Simon G from the Western Australian Department of Transport and Lyn B from the Federal Government’s Services Australia.
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who took part. The DVDs will be on their way to their new owners very soon.
And for another chance to be a PS News winner, simply check out Rama’s latest giveaways with her current DVD freebie at this PS News link and her also-prize book at this link.
Good luck to everyone who does.
A present of the past!
And finally, an introduction to the new addition to PS-sssst! promised two weeks ago in the very informative, instructional and interesting form of a visit back to the PS of the Past, with a selection of stories from this week 10 years ago.
Memories from the week of 20 – 27 February 2011:
This time 10 years ago thirsty charities were the beneficiaries of a decision by the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce to donate 100 bottles of Penfolds Grange from the Government House cellar.
After a respected oenologist surveyed the collection and suggested that some of the wines needed to be consumed sooner rather than later, charities were asked to apply for a signed bottle. Government House had been collecting wine since the 1980s.
***********************************
In an early example of fake news, South Australia’s fire services were forced to dispel a myth circulating in the community that houses with solar power supply would be left to burn to the ground because of an extra risk to firefighters.
Metropolitan Fire Service District Officer of Community Safety, Allan Foster said all of the State’s rural and urban firefighters were well trained to handle any type of structure fire and to mitigate any risks involved.
***********************************
Federal Attorney-General, Robert McClelland officially launched the seventh edition of the pocket-size version of the Australian Constitution.
He said the Constitution was Australia’s birth certificate and the pocket edition, produced by the Parliamentary Education Office and Australian Government Solicitor, was designed to raise public awareness of the foundational document.
***********************************
At Siding Spring in NSW, the Australian Astronomical Observatory’s Professor Fred Watson announced that astronomers had identified the shredded remains of a dwarf galaxy “buried” inside our own.
Using the facilities of the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, the sky-gazing scientists were seeking to better understand how Earth’s galaxy has grown over time.
***********************************
Melbourne was crowned the second-most “liveable city” in the world, behind Vancouver, Canada, by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Councillor Robert Doyle welcomed the “great honour”, saying the EIU list was the world’s most widely accepted ranking of liveability, comparing 140 of the world’s major cities.
He said Melbourne’s milder weather and lower crime rate helped give it the edge over Sydney, which came in seventh.
***********************************
And, returning to matters of thirst, in Western Australia, the Water Minister, Bill Marmion was forced to declare “a water deficiency” for the Shire of Kent in the Great Southern region.
Such a declaration is the option of last resort after all water available for supply has been exhausted and it meant the Government would have to cart in water to top up dwindling farm emergency supplies.
Till next week….
Something to share?
Send to [email protected]
(And, yes, it can be anonymous!)
