FEAST OR FAMINE

In a study by RedBalloon, retention of employers is one of the biggest issues currently facing Australian businesses, and the cost of replacing workers is estimated at 150% of their annual salary. Therefore an effective reward and recognition program is what most employers want from their workplace. The RedBalloon poll asked employers what they wanted at work “right now” and found that 77% said that they would consider leaving their current job if they weren’t recognized for their contributions. One in four (25%) employers were already seeking a new job or intending to do so in the next three months. The top 9 things that employers want from their workplace right now is: Work/life balance (15%) Rewards and recognition (12%) Systems and processes (12%) Effective communication (9%) Career progression (9%) Training and professional development (8%) Culture (7%) Leadership/senior management (5%) ...

The Papua New Guinea Electoral Commissioner, Andrew Trawen, announced on July 26 that the extension date for the Return of Writs for the 2012 National General Elections to his Excellency the Governor General is Wednesday August 1. This is to enable the remaining electorates to complete their counting and declare their results. To date, the total number of writs returned to the PNG Electoral Commission is 39 out of 72 seats declared ( http://www.pngec.gov.pg ). The Electoral Commissioner expects that, within this time, the political party that has won the majority of seats will form the next government of Papua New Guinea. Parliament will be recalled to form a new government seven days after the return of writs. PNG has a multi-party system and parties must work with each other to form a coalition government. Papua New Guinea is a constitutional monarchy with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as the Head of State, represented in the country by a Governor General (which is th...

In Hermits: Insights of Solitude (1996), Peter France brings to life over 2,000 years of hermit history, from the Desert Fathers, Leonid, Macarius, Ambrose, Ramakrishna, Thoreau, de Foucauld, and Merton to the modern day Robert Lax. France’s introduction explains that “many thousands of recluses have lived their solitary lives and gone to their graves in silence.” His book is about those who passed on their experiences to visitors, preserved their thoughts in writing, or gave up solitude to present their views to the world.   Hence, interspersed between the narratives is an intellectual study, a personal collection of quotes from hermits that explain their reasoning, purpose, philosophies, and daily life. Typically society views hermits as anti-social, but hermitage is about living in loneliness rather of being loners or outcasts. Some live in austere conditions, some live totally alone, and some live in monastic communities. Some take a life of hermitage seaso...

Before the author wrote his better known work, The Pencil (1990), his first novel was To Engineer is Human: The role of failure in successful design (1985). The failure analyst writes an interesting novel of learning with the premises that “success may be grand, but disappointment can often teach us more” and “falling down is part of growing up." Petroski takes the reader from nursery rhymes (Jack and Jill, and Humpty Dumpty) to the design of pyramids, railroads, cathedrals, bridges, the Crystal Palace, and the crack in the Liberty Bell, with his prime focus on structural and mechanical engineering. He discusses failure by fatigue, failure by fracture, instability, buckling, corrosion and erosion as well as overload, understrength and deterioration. Engineering, described by Petroski, is “a human endeavor that is both creative and analytical” in its phases from design and planning to implementation and construction. The lessons of failure generally pinpoint...

For the first time at the Olympic Games, competitors without a country will compete. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted approval for a South Sudanese competitor to compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, to commence on July 27. Guor Marial will run as an independent athlete in clothing without a country flag or identification. He will race under the Olympic flag. The 28-year-old will compete in the marathon which takes place on August 12. Marial’s country of birth, South Sudan, gained independence a year ago and is yet to form a national Olympic committee. His country of current destination is America. Marial, a permanent resident in America, is in the process of gaining American citizenship. However, he is not yet a US citizen and cannot therefore run under the United States flag. The IOC told the sports minister of South Sudan, Cireno Hiteng Ofuho, that for South Sudanese competitors and teams to compete at The Games, they would have to comp...

Fly Thomas Cook British travel company Fly Thomas Cook conducted a survey to determine the countries where travellers gain the most weight during their holidays. While the survey questioned only 350 Britons, it is interesting to note the results. The top ten countries where Brits on holiday gained weight included: (1) Cyprus, (2) Turkey, (3) Portugal, (4) America, (5) Greece, (6) The Netherlands, (7) France, (8) Australia, (9) Italy, and (10) Belgium. Weight gain averaged a 0.3-1.5 kilogram increase in body mass over an average 10 day holiday. The reasons for gaining weight included: eating in restaurants more than usual, consuming more alcohol, cooking less, and exercising less. Other reasons included unlimited buffet breakfasts and all-inclusive holidays (where meals were pre-paid). Not everyone gained weight on holiday - 46% indicated weight gain, with men 12% more likely to gain weight (averaging 2.5 kilogram weight gain which was 75% more than their average fe...

Looking for classic or popular reading material for the winter months in the southern hemisphere? Below is a list of five great reads: 1.     Possession : by A.S. Byatt The 1990 Man Booker winner weaves a compelling story of two Victorian poets and two scholars of Victorian poetry as their lives and loves slowly parallel. 2.     Nectar in a Sieve : by Kamala Markandaya Twelve-year-old Rukmani and her new husband Nathan struggle with raising a family as India turns from its more pastoral and agricultural roots into something more industrial. Rukmani and her loved ones contend with poverty, disease, and death, but the heroine’s journey reflects literature’s most enduring tales of interpersonal strengths. 3.     The House on Mango Street : by Sandra Cisneros Sandra Cisneros’ novella follows a Chicana girl who dreams of leaving the Chicago slums and forging a life for herself before coming back to rescue he...

  The Post-Courier published my favourite chilli crab recipe: Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients (serves 4) 2 teaspoons peanut oil 4 green (uncooked) blue swimmer crabs 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 fresh finely chopped long red chillies 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger 60ml (1/4 cup) tomato sauce 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce 2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional) 1 tablespoon brown sugar 6 green shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced diagonally 1/2 cup firmly packed coarsely chopped fresh coriander Steamed jasmine rice, to serve Method 1. Heat the oil in a large wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the crab and stir-fry for 5-7 minutes or until just cooked (the crabmeat will turn white when cooked). 2. Add the garlic, chilli and ginger, and stir-fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the tomato and sweet chilli sauces, sherry and sugar, and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until sauce boils and thickens slightl...

The two week election voting/polling period for the general and provincial elections in Papua New Guinea was expected to finish on July 6. This would allow for all writs to be returned by the due date of July 27, set by the Governor-General Sir Michael Ogio. The Electoral Commissioner, Mr Andrew Trawen, extended the election polling period for a week to Friday July 13 to enable all ballot papers to arrive at remote regions. The Eastern Highlands became the last province to complete polling yesterday. The issue now is that the writs must be returned before the official 8 th national election ends. The Organic Law on the National and Local Level Government Elections (OLNLLGE) is specific on the issue and return of writs. Under Section 80, subsection 1, the law specifies that “the fixed for the return of writs shall not be more than 21 days after the end of the polling period.” Officials are now debating what the actual completion date should be, and whether another e...

  Entertainment at the Ela Beach Craft Market in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, included an energetic bamboo band. The 7-piece band, with women and children singers, played several traditional songs, and attracted a large crowd. The style of Melanesian music uses natural hollow open-ended bamboo, tied together, typically in a pyramid or trapezoid shape. Five musical instruments are of this kind, while two are flute-type instruments (still of bamboo tubes) standing upright. Musicians hit (slap) the bamboo tubes with rubber thongs (flip-flops) - the rubber/plastic sandals worn on the feet. The flexible movement of the flip-flops gives it a distinct sound. The position of the bamboo tube designates the tone – from a deep tone to a higher pitch. The sound it produces is a unique style of melodious drumming that is richly rhythmical and tonal – as well as eye-catching and exciting. Layered over the drumming was the delightful singing of women and children in tradi...