Richard Aedy

My father also believes in the "do as you would be...

2008-08-19T15:54:00.000+10:00

My father also believes in the "do as you would be done" by thing. It was in the Water Babies, I think.

However, I must say that there is pause for thought in the expression "don't treat me as you would like to be treated, for I am not you".

What one person sees as respectfully giving space, another sees as remote lack of interest. What one sees as deep connected caring, another sees as intrusive meddling.

The aboriginal situation might fit this paradigm...

Now that the business world has moved into innovation management and emotional intelligence training, I think we must recognise that one person's preferred behaviour does not necessarily translate to others.

For example, another (excuse my dreadul generalisation) male preference seems to be for the character-type A2b; "laid-back". So often, I read this as uninterested, unengaged, "if it doesn't affect me, i don't want to think about it."

I am in IT. That is the my answer to the 'what do ...

2008-07-20T13:38:00.000+10:00

I am in IT. That is the my answer to the 'what do you do question?'. In short time it gives the enquirer a sufficiently complete answer, and allows me to ask them the same question back, followed by further questions. Effectively I am saying, let's not talk about me, let's talk about you, their favorite topic. Sometimes, after which, they will ask a more in depth question about my work. This question I am often tempted to give a more genuine and less superficial answer.
At this point we each consider whether that was an interesting and fruitful conversation, and would like to do that again, so decide to exchange business cards.
Its the professional playground way of swapping phone numbers and saying 'Will you be my friend?'.

I am in IT. That is the my answer to the 'what do ...

2008-07-20T13:36:00.000+10:00

the "what do you do?" question that i ask people a...

2008-07-04T03:11:00.000+10:00

the "what do you do?" question that i ask people at a party is "are you from here originally?"

then that opens the following possibilities (1) their story of getting to the new city/town, and what they think of the place, have they been back home etc ... or (2) my story along the above lines or (3) how rare it is to meet a local person (which might be rubbish, but gets people going)

It's good to feel aloof when this question is aime...

2008-07-03T09:55:00.000+10:00

It's good to feel aloof when this question is aimed at one at parties or gatherings. I am a chameleon and I feel the obligation to respond by disseminating my life's work as a freelancer would bore me and any keen listener. It would be an endurance test for all that wouldn't provide any quick and useful information.
So many people appear to apologise for what they do or are so pompous about their positions one regrets having opened the conversation.
Silence can be a good thing. Parties our out for us. I teeter on the fringe of a few groups but feel very much more comfortable dancing not talking. Some people talk ( simply for the sake of it ) and some people dance... Its better for you anyway.
Dance with your Granny, your children or your neighbours the connection is real!

Hi ChrisI think it's a little unfair to say we don...

2008-06-27T08:40:00.000+10:00

Hi Chris
I think it's a little unfair to say we don't look to overseas experience - we do, indeed Australia has been one of the most outward looking countries in the world.

We often take ideas from overseas and - as you know - we often take people. At the moment the impressive Tom Bentley (ex Demos) is here. He has been attached to the Victorian Premier's office but these days I think he's on secondment to Deputy Prime Minister. Tom's an easy example to recall but there have been many similar exchanges in which Australia becomes the net beneficiary.

I think the idea of a single health record is an excellent one, and technology is already moving us that way. (http://www.mivitals.com/ is one private sector approach)

But the mobility of the workforce now probably makes a single GP approach an impractical one. In the last 10 years I've lived in five different suburbs of Sydney and a stint in Canberra - and there are plenty of people who've moved much more (and further) than that.

Dear Richard,I'm glad that you feel the, "chief nu...

2008-06-25T15:07:00.000+10:00

Dear Richard,
I'm glad that you feel the, "chief nurse" reassuring - but that warm fuzzy feeling isn't the best way of determining public policy.
I have moved to Australia because I love it here - but one of my criticisms would be that the Aussies don't often look to the experience abroad and thereby miss out on a wealth of experinece and knowledge.
The health system works better here then in the UK - with the exception of 2 points.
1) there is no single health record here which leads to duplication of tests/referrals and consultations.
2) No single GP - with the result that people shop around and lead to an increase in (1)
This situation is going to be made worse by having allied health prescribing and refering.
This has happened in the UK - where the experiment has not been a success.
Public policy needs to be determined by EVIDENCE and not on what feels right.
Chris Rook

Hey Richard, I'm sure all we listeners thought it ...

2008-06-14T00:24:00.000+10:00

Hey Richard, I'm sure all we listeners thought it rather charming that you fessed up to not being good at parties. One reason we love 'LM' - not run by the (probably unfairly) stereotyped media stars who are supposed to strut about egotistically promoting themselves. When people ask you what you do, I think you should remember that one important thing is the way you and the other LM team members create an environment that encourages participation from the listeners and is very supportive to people who come on and speak about some pretty personal stuff. It's really one of the outstanding things about your program. You should be proud of that. First time I've looked at the blog - hope it stays enjoyable & not a burden as it might for hard working journos doing a 2nd shift in cyberspace.

I know how you feel Richard. Sometimes it's hard t...

2008-06-12T16:21:00.000+10:00

I know how you feel Richard. Sometimes it's hard to know if people really want a good description of what you do or if they're just making polite conversation. I'm constantly thinking to myself "Are you being boring here or do they really want to know?". Maybe it doesn't matter because they will probably have forgotten what you've said the next day, and if they haven't, perhaps you've just made a new friend.

Thanks for the LM show Richard, been integral to m...

2008-06-11T12:18:00.000+10:00

Thanks for the LM show Richard, been integral to my morning. Did listen to 'gratitude' last week, but a comment for your blog in the appreciation stakes from children. It will all come at a moment you least expect it. Recently married (3rd time)and with 4 grown children from my 1st marriage and two who are step children (hate that word step, they surprised us with comments at the wedding reception that showed us that though they may not say much in thanks over the years, they don't miss a trick. The gratitude and appreciation for who we are and how we have been as parents had more than the two of us, wet eyed.
Unlooked for, it comes as a joy out of the blue. Cheers Phil

Some very interesting comments here. I think the ...

2008-06-03T16:15:00.000+10:00

Some very interesting comments here. I think the case for Spanish is fairly convincing - it's one of the most widely spoken languages in the world as well as being one of the easier ones for native English speakers to learn. Interestingly, that's exactly the position the Secondary Principal's Association has taken.

I certainly don't mean to denigrate German, or French, come to that. French is actually spoken in Australia's sphere of interest - in the south Pacific. And I take JennyR's point about German, but only up to a point.

It's possible to make a case for a large number of languages - nearly all have something going for them. The EU will argue about this, (and I speak as a Europhile), but you wouldn't put the mortgage on Europe becoming more important in Australia's future. Asia IS going to.

Not enough people learn and speak other languages and the reasons for this are difficult to address. But let's not continue to teach 130+ of them in our schools. At the moment, schools are deciding to teach languages based on community interest and the language teachers available to them. I understand that - but it isn't exactly working out well for the country, is it? We need to teach languages Australia really needs. If there really were going to be only six - and you know it'll never happen - I wouldn't have German (or French) on that list. I might have Spanish though...

As a teacher of a European language, I think that ...

2008-06-03T14:27:00.000+10:00

As a teacher of a European language, I think that these comments could be very damaging to the hard work that language teachers put in. Before you question the relevance of studying a non-Asian language, you really need to check your research.

There are community reasons for studying German – apart from the large number of descendents of German immigrants in South Australia, there are other German speaking communities around the country, such as the one in Morwell, in Gippsland. And contrary to your opinion, the historical reasons for studying German, is not where the relevance ends.

German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union. The German speaking countries form the largest and most influential market in the EU, and are Australia’s third most important trading partners. German companies also invest heavily in Australia.

Apart from these reasons, to look no further than Asia in the day of the “Global Village”, is very short-sighted. While we may be more geographically connected to Asia, we are basically a European society in Australia, whether some people like it or not. And while I agree with the point that there are not enough people studying languages in Australia, directing people away from learning European languages is not a smart move. Surely we should encouraging simply the study of languages, rather than putting forward this narrow view of the world.

"ptr" is absolutely correct in that one of the pri...

2008-05-30T22:36:00.000+10:00

"ptr" is absolutely correct in that one of the primary reasons for lack of language learning in Australia is the lack of continuity in study (besides, of course, language study being non-compulsory; seen as one thing too many to add to an already-crowded curriculum; and the urgent need for language teacher training). As a uni lecturer in Spanish, I have (a few, lucky) students who may have had extensive hours of lang. learning with excellent teachers at primary level, but were unable to continue studying the same language at secondary level, or were thrown back into the beginners pool, only to be bored to tears reviewing what they already knew.

I would also suggest that Spanish be added to the "compulsory 4-6 languages" Richard Aedy suggests - as a Romance language, it is easier for English speakers to learn; it's the 2nd most widely spoken language worldwide with 400+ million speakers (and growing) AND, as I constantly remind my colleagues, Spanish is also a language that is used in the Asia-Pacific region, and is recognised as such by the Australian government with funding for uni students to study in Latin America. Somehow, Latin America's relevance as a trading partner and as a member of the Asia Pacific community is too often overlooked. Spanish is also one of the fastest growing and more popular languages for students to learn at unis in Australia at present.

As a former senior education bureaucrat I consider...

2008-05-30T15:15:00.000+10:00

As a former senior education bureaucrat I consider that the current language policies which are designed to appease all language groups guarantee that very few students will learn a second language. Without narrowing the focus to 4-6 languages, phasing out the study of non-approved' languages in schools (they can be taught as community languages in community language centres), getting alignment between the languages taught in primary schools and secondary schools in a local area, establishing beginners and refresher courses for teachers in the few official languages and changing the way languages are taught/experienced (by using technology to connect to native speakers locally or overseas, developing conversation proficiency before reading and writing proficiency, whole school contribution to language learning and by backing up regular lessons with 'intensives' such as a language camp, overseas exchanges, a second language week each term, etc)- the current parlous state of second language learning will be perpetuated.

I couldn't agree more. It seems that much of the p...

2008-05-29T11:53:00.000+10:00

I couldn't agree more. It seems that much of the public school system (at least in NSW) has abandoned the teaching of languages.

Your primary school child might get a few cursory lessons because they are lucky enough to have a teacher with some foreign language skills, but there is no continuity at each stage to build on those early lessons.

Once at high school your child will most likely be offered minimal compulsory language hours, with no choice of different languages (in my daughter's case, it was Japanese condensed into Yr 7 with no language classes offered in Yr 8).

It seems to boil down to whether there are teachers with language skills available in your particular school, rather than any systematic approach to teaching languages throughout a child's entire schooling.

Not good enough in an era of increasing globalisation!

Can I put in a word for Esperanto as well?I say th...

2008-05-28T08:01:00.000+10:00

Can I put in a word for Esperanto as well?

I say this not because it has become a living language, but because it has propadeutic values as well.

Detail can be found at http://www.esperanto.net

It's a bit like speeding, Richard. People don't sl...

2008-05-13T14:20:00.000+10:00

It's a bit like speeding, Richard. People don't slow down to avoid killing or maiming themselves or someone else. But they'll slow down to avoid those speeding fines. Oh the humanity!

The short answer is yes.The longer answer is yes b...

2008-05-01T20:50:00.000+10:00

The short answer is yes.
The longer answer is yes but not any more.

I have a question you may be able to ask. We all ...

2008-05-01T18:18:00.000+10:00

I have a question you may be able to ask. We all know that tailor made cigarettes are full of various toxic chemicals. WHY? Is it possible that less harmful cigarettes could be marketed? I realise this won't prevent all of the health affects, but surely removing these toxins is possible and preferable?? Why don't we have the option of 'healthier' cigarettes??

The question though, Richard, is have you ever use...

2008-05-01T14:28:00.000+10:00

The question though, Richard, is have you ever used any of these substances? Comon, now! Time to fess up ;)

Actually I was wrong (and a tiny bit right) about ...

2008-05-01T11:15:00.000+10:00

Actually I was wrong (and a tiny bit right) about why cannabis use is going down.

Jan Copeland said it wasn't really clear why this happening but maybe community education is having an effect.

Tobacco use is falling and she does think that's connected.

Where I was really wrong was about ecstacy. Anecdotally it's becoming the drug of choice but Jan Copeland says that's not reflected in the National Household Drug Survey from 2007.

hello Richardi was very interested in Jeff's comme...

2008-05-01T10:47:00.000+10:00

hello Richard

i was very interested in Jeff's comments and your linking it to leadership has spurred me to write.

the potent skills you list seem about right to me in terms of what's needed for the task, but i have my reservations about leadership.

i am familiar with the critical role we give leadership these days but i doubt whether it actually exists.

i know there are leaders of organisations, etc., but it is the notion that a set of skill such as those you list amount to the kind of thing that can be deployed and of which specific results can be expected.

leaders are important because they make (good) decisions about many, many things. but i suspect leadership is just another name for the person who knowingly and wholly takes repsonsiblity for making those decisions in an organisation and does so with a broad and deep understanding of what is being attempted through the decisions.

the work of professor gabriele lakomski of melbourne university is really interesting on leadership.

kym houghton