The Ides of March

Is buying life insurance like tempting fate? Lighting strike me, I don't care coz I'm insured!

What about the old biddies who save for, prepay their funeral or buy a funeral bond?

I'm no better, planning my own demise and a damn nifty piece of work too. The powers that be decided to close the joint and I've Gantt-ed myself out of a job by 19 March 2010.

Damn I could be hit by a bus by a then...

Racist? Never.....

We've had an expatriate manager accusing Aussies of being racist, vehement denials from various pollies followed with accusations of the guy being sour grapes.

Unfortunately, we were made made to eat humble pie when thousand of Indian students demonstrated against racial violence directed against them. Now we have this research from Prof. Leigh at the Australian National University who found that found people with Chinese names are much more likely to be knocked back for a job interview than applicants with an Anglo-Saxon name.

In Sydney, Chinese jobseekers needed to send 92 per cent more job applications than those with an Anglo-Saxon background, while Middle Eastern applicants needed to post 80 per cent more resumes.

Shame...

Beauty Marketing 101

The market is dominated by the big boys (or girls), Estee Lauder, Clinique, L'Oreal but to name a few. The market is crowded and despite the credit crunch, buyers are still willing to spend. So how can a one differentiate oneself?

By offering a unique product. Something special and unique with miraculous properties...

We have a Norwegian company, Bioforskning, synthesising a compound found in sperm and claiming the resulting concoction is the ultimate new wrinkle-busting antioxidant or the (not-cheap) offering from SkinScience (now we know how those porn stars stay young and it's free too!)

Or the offering from SkinMedica, its TNS Recovery Complex is formulated with harvested foreskin cells.

For an organic feel, how about a bird-poo facial tested by Japanese geishas since the 18th century?

Thank you MSN!

Funny this.....

"I would say that Australia definitely is different [from] the US. In many ways it was like stepping back in time... But my point is that [racism] does exist and it's got to change because the world is full of a lot of people and most economies have to take advantage - including Australia - of a diverse set of people."
Sol Trujillo - ex CEO Telstra

"I think there was a bit of sour grapes in them actually,"
John Brumby - Victorian Premier

and in today's press 1,164 articles

Indian students in Melbourne, Victoria protest over race attacks... Ethnic tensions after a spate of recent attacks on Indian students - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Finally.... in damage control mode

"I speak on behalf of all Australians when say I say that we deplore and condemn these attacks,"
Kevin Rudd - Prime Minister