Starting off with the fine art of poetry in Western Australia now where PS-sssst! has uncovered a new initiative for boosting the State’s ‘Agrifood Sector’ by setting up a project for developing businesses across a wide range of agriculture plans and opportunities.
According to the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, the project includes opportunities in plant processing, plant-based milk, nutraceutical oat extracts, natural health supplements, hemp, animal-based health products, apples and other growth areas.
And what appropriate and encouraging name has been chosen for this most important of projects?
Why, ‘Business Opportunity Outline’ of course, an abbreviation frighteningly reduced to ‘BOO’.
And if ever the going gets tough, BOO will have a line to the world’s finest experts on getting things right, the World Health Organisation.
A case of BOO WHO, perhaps?
A new kind of K.I.N.D.
To Queensland now where the ancient art of abbreviating a few words so they become easy to recall is soaring to new heights by the local State’s Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.
Where once a smart abbreviation was abridged, adulated and admired, todays’ ‘acronyms’ (that’s their real name!) are often broken, blasted, blighted and befuddled in the name of nomenclature and easy recognition.
And the Queensland department has taken befuddlement to an artform.
Opening an announcement with: “K.I.N.D. breaking of the cycle of violence” the Department set about the worthwhile practice of helping its young people give up violence, presumably of any ‘KIND’ they were engaged in.
While the goal of the project is worth the most energetic of applauses, the cryptic creation of K.I.N.D. is just the kind that doesn’t.
In the Department’s own words: “K.I.N.D. stands for Kinship, Improving relationships, No violence and Developing skills”.
By PS-sssst’s calculation that’s 4 words and 52 letters too many for a snappy, memorable, short name that might capture the public’s interest.
For the record, KIRNVADS would be its acronym.
Seen worse!
ACCC nil, AFL loaded
Revisiting PS-sssst’s call to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) now to take a look at the treatment the Australian Football League gives to fans who bet on their teams in a game, only to lose their hard-earned money due to an unreasonable and unfair rule.
As fate would have it, in last week’s football round (31 March) the rip-off rule was at its most blatant, relieving thousands of one team’s supporters of their betting funds when they could have won if one minor change was made to the AFL rules to see justice done.
In the game in question, one team was showered with five free kicks in front of their goal, adding 25 points to its score while the other team received two free kicks to add 12 to theirs.
At the end of the game the lucky team that received the 25-points from the umpires won by just 11 points, a game they would have lost if the rules were fair.
The answer is to require all free kicks within 50m of the goals to be ‘differential penalties’ so the ball has to go to another player before it can score.
It works in other sports and would at least give the AFL punters a chance to win.
If ever there were thousands of ‘consumers’ in need of some competition help, this would be it. And only the Sydney-based ACCC would have the power to do so.
No pool like a new pool
In for a dip this week with Rama’s weekly giveaway as her prize the life stories of champion Olympic swimming sisters, Cate and Bronte Campbell: Sister Secrets: Life lessons from the pool to the podium.
Invited by Rama to name which of the sisters is the elder – it’s Cate – the two lucky PS News readers to win copies of the book were Kate D from the federal Department of Education, Skills and Employment in Canberra and Elizabeth P from NSW’s Department of Regional NSW.
Congratulations Kate and Elizabeth, your new books will be out of the pool soon and on their way and a big thanks to everyone who took part in Rama’s giveaway.
To take a place in Rama’s wonderful world of winners simply follow her book and/or DVD reviews and answer her cunningly uncomplicated quiz questions, one being her latest reviewed Book The Opera House at this PS News link and her earlier Book The Gilded Years at this link.
It’s fun and it’s free and someone has to be among the winners so it may as well be you!
Good luck to everyone who gives it a go.
Pressing the case
And finally, linking up every reader of PS News with the many news and information outlets available in Australia and abroad, the long-standing PS News ‘National News’ page has everything everyone is ever likely to need.
From national, state and local newspapers as well as international TVs and other outlets the offers readers the best chance available to find out what’s really happening around the national and overseas, all at the touch of a click and enjoyed most with a relaxing coffee, tea or other drink.
In PS News’s early years the ‘The National News’ page was consistently rated in the website’s top 10 as workers caught up with all the news they needed for their job, often with the first morning cuppa, ensuring they were fully informed of anything related to their agency in case it impacted on them, their management or Minister.
Today’s newly expanded ‘National News’ service does all that and better and can be accessed at this PS News link.
Until next week…..
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