News fans who read the media or watch TV bulletins will be aware that the nation’s Defence is to be examined in a Defence Strategic Review (DSR) with a view to setting it up for years.
Announcing a selection of reviewers who had been chosen to take on the task, the Defence Minister said they would form an ‘External Advisory Panel’ to make sure the DSR achieves its life-saving goals.
“The External Advisory Panel will provide an independent assessment of Defence’s progress,” the Minister declared. “It will report biannually to Government.”
Wise moves on every step!
Not quite as wise when the Minister added “the appointment of the Expert Advisory Panel reflects the Government’s commitment.”
‘Expert advisory panel? What happened to the ‘External’ advisory panel?
Maybe the first panel’s job will be to beat its own panel!
Racketty Rack
To the Australian Capital Territory now– also known as the ACT or its fancy name ‘Canberra’ – but either way young people from the community have lined up to join an ACT Youth Advisory Council, lovingly scaled down to its abbreviated title ‘ACTYAC’.
And while the youngsters play with their Acty Yak, the older oldies whisk back to their rock-n-roll days when their own Yakety Yak was top of the charts.
And while the two may be ‘acty yakking’ on different dance planets, each them are sure to benefit from the second line.
Be it ‘Acty yak’ or ‘Yakety Yak’ the lesson learned is; Don’t Look back!
‘Locksmith’ unlocks normal prize
Back to normal now with this normal week’s ultra-normal prize in the form of one of Rama’s gratuitous giveaways in the form of the tense movie crime thriller The Locksmith starring Ryan Phillippe, Kate Bosworth and Ving Rhames.
To win a normal copy of the DVD, readers needed only to tell Rama the name of the not so normal ‘crooked cop’ in the film.
The correct answer was that Ian Zwick was the dud played by normal Jeffrey Nordling and the first reader to get it right and win the prize came from Karen M from the Western Australian office of the national Department of Health and Aged Care.
Congratulations Karen, your DVD will be on its way very soon, and a big thanks to everyone who took part in the puzzle.
In the meantime, the normal rest of us can put our good luck to work by joining in Rama’s giveaway games this week simply by visiting her reviews of the DVD Assassin at this PS News link or her other reviewed book Statements from the Soul at this link – and then answering one or both of her quizzy questions.
May the good of the norman be with everyone as norman!
Philomena fills again!
To our wise, witty and whimsical comedy contributor Philomena S now sharing with us the one-look, says-it-all commentary which more than a few PS sections staff members would love to hang outside their office door.
Feel free to cut and paste, but don’t tell anyone it was found in PS News…!
Numbers have it!
And finally another month, another stream of warm-welcomes to new readers joining the PS News friendly family during May, extending the long line of readers beyond the impressive 190,000-plus for the first time.
While the national number reached 190,323, the winners of the States’ race was led by Tasmania adding 1,239 new readers to PS News for the first time, followed by Victoria 494, Northern Territory 379 and Western Australia 36.
For the number-lovers, the official ladder is:
Readers’ Numbers
1– Commonwealth Public Service – 69,702 readers;
2– Victoria – 22,910;
3- NSW – 22,700;
4- Western Australia -18,491;
5- Queensland – 15,663;
6- Tasmania -14,557;
7– ACT 12,449;
8- South Australia 12,195; and
9- Northern Territory 1,654.
Busy and powerful they might appear but it’s never too late to join the PS News party. It’s free if nothing else!
Cheers
Till next week.….
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