My MS
by Ian Heydon

I have mentioned a few fellow MSers in our wee global network – musicians, writers, artists, teachers but I haven’t mentioned the rocket scientist.  Yep, there’s only one of them!  Katja is from Colorado and she just received an award from NASA… “For exceptional accomplishment of designing and testing the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) [...]

Part of my Saturday morning ritual is to read the Sydney Morning Herald and my two favourite columnists are Mike Carlton and Peter Fitzsimons.  The quotes are thanks to Fitz, and the Evans opinion thanks to Carlton. +++ “…he’s trampled some of the cherished traditions of Australian sportsmen victorious on the world stage. Firstly, he [...]

Hey! Today, in Melbourne, we get to see an American institution – a child beauty pageant! Woo-hoo!! At last common sense has prevailed in this country and we finally get to see toddlers in tiaras take to the cat walk!!!  I mean, surely it is about time women realised that there is a glass ceiling [...]

A man in London walked into the vegetable section of his local supermarket and asked to buy half a head of lettuce. The boy working in that department told him that they only sold whole heads of lettuce. The man was insistent that the boy ask the manager about the matter. Walking into the back [...]

The weirdest thing about this story – when I heard it on TV this morning, I didn’t think it was that strange – as if that’s just what happens as part of life in Australia, but then again… There’s Phyllis Johnson, aged 94, hanging out the washing at her home in Charleville on Sunday when [...]

Only a small blowing of own trumpet.  Received a parcel in the post containing a book called Making Radio (A Practical Guide to Working in Radio in the Digital Age).  Darling Laura was wondering why I would receive such a ‘rich gift’ for no reason.  Well, it is the third edition of Making Radio – [...]

Congratulations to Cadel Evans – it is a major personal achievement to win the epic Tour de France at age 34 (after second place 2007 and 2008).  And what a national anthem belted out by Tina Arena!  In terms of an Australian sporting achievement, it is arguably the greatest ever.  Better than Pharlap?  Better than [...]

Amy Winehouse, dead at 27.  Tragic?  Expected?  As an audience, because of her demise and because of her addictions we probably only had a glimpse at her musical potential – sadly, probably, so did she.  It was like watching a train crash in slow-motion – couldn’t take your eyes of her self-destructing. I couldn’t muster [...]

From Peter Fitzsimons column in the SMH this morning (rather than paraphrase – his words)… BRAVO the Wallabies. Not for their loss against the valiant Samoan side, which was dispiriting to say the least – but for what happened the following day. The side headed down to Coogee Beach for a recovery session in the [...]

Well spotted!  It is indeed a moustache!!  Just received an email from Movember – yes, yes, I know it is July, but it took them a while to do their sums.  Movember men who mastered moustaches (along with their mo-sistas) raised $AUS72million in November 2010 for men’s health (Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and Beyond [...]