Across Continents

Ken's Blog

Emotional times

January 13th, 2011

A passing aberration I told myself. Feeling for a politician. Anna Bligh. Queensland’s Premier. Morning press conference. Bit of a quiver in the voice. But she kept it together. To be fair, flood my cottage with mud and raw sewage, deprive me of sleep and I’d get a bit emotional. She’s got an entire State to contend with. Huge swathes devastated.

Amongst the saturation news coverage of the Queensland flood disaster, there’s been the odd glimmer of incidental humour. A piece this morning. Dwelling briefly on a flooded Brisbane milk factory. Before quickly focusing on the city’s submerged “XXXX” brewery. Extensive aerial footage. You could sense the tears.

Who knows whether the end is in sight. For the wet season continues into April. But do hope television schedules return to normal sooner rather than later. Can’t wait to catch a new Aussie reality show “Conviction Kitchen“. Not sure if it’s actually meant to be ironic

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On the box

August 20th, 2010

Since crossing from Kazakhstan into China, the standard of living, in general, has climbed steeply, whilst the cost of living has dropped considerably. Accommodation, food, much cheaper, the quality much higher, few exceptions. Remarkable value for money. Shades of the West, but without the price tag. For now at least.

CCTV

But narrowing of the gap with the Western world extends beyond the necessities of everyday life. Issues discussed on national television, health awareness, tackling the underlying causes of juvenile crime, concerns at rapidly rising property prices in the cities, resonate closely with those you’d find being discussed in the West. And not just on China Central Television’s English language service.

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