We Dream Of A City At The End Of Time

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He was reading a marvellous science fiction book called The City At The End Of Time and in a way that's how he felt in his own life, he had woken up in the future. He found himself crushed in the carriages of the Sky Train high above the Bangkok traffic. He found himself talking to old Asian hands while the neon lights flashed outside, while the bars called, while middle aged, sometimes even elderly white men walked the streets with Thai prostitutes on their arms. They were all so gorgeous and the world was irradiated with glee. The muggy heat closed in. The traffic snarled. He spoke to no one and he spoke to every one.

Something was calling, perhaps it really was the city at the end of time. Old souls, old souls. There was no way to be free. I've always busted coming off the bupe before, why would this time be any different, he thought, and recognised all the sick rationalisations that had bedevilled his life. It's inevitable, get it over with. How cruel the torments, and yet the world was before him. He showed kindness, because it was the right thing to do. The man sitting next to him had been sober for 60 years, since he was 21. He had never met anyone like that before.

The heat closed in. The early birds made their piping noises. Everything would be fine. All is well. He didn't believe it because calamity had been a motivating force, driving him through each bleak day. What's wrong mate, what's wrong, I've never known anyone so unhappy over such a long period of time. He shrugged. It was who he was. The sky lightened and already the heat was almost unbearable. These are the times, these are the times for you, for peace, for the children to become their own people, for the days to be his own, for clever hands and pampered desperation. Already he could hear the traffic on nearby Sukhumvit beginning to build.

We dream of a city at the end of time. Of course we do. The fragile remnants of what were once humans. Everything swirled. The heat closed in. Bangkok in itself was a city of the future, the crushing crowds. The tourists. The impossible traffic. The pollution. The Sky Train. The way pieces of comfort had been carved out from the surrounding poverty; money making everything easy for a certain grand few. The advertisements for things they did not need blaring from the videos on the sides of the crowded carriages, ludicrously pale - white - faced Asians flogging everything from donuts to skin treatments. While in the crushed carriages Thais of all colours sat or stood patiently.
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For such a crowded place there was an amazing level of social order. But the man with one leg still slid himself ostentatiously along the ground in the Nana district; and at Om Nit the stumpy handed stumpy legged Buddha figure beamed at him, although he gave him nothing. Ian released two finches outside the bar for good Kharma, the act appealing to his many senses. The chant to self destruct was in his head, but at least he recognised it now. He gravitated to a particular type. Old souls. He saw a sign: The Miami Hotel. How many years, 40, had it been since he ad stayed there? In the seventies as a young man. When all was future. When all was great. When he was embarked on the greatest adventure in human history.

We dream of a city at the end of time.


THE BIGGER STORY:

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/voters-starting-to-realise-pm-all-talk-20100216-o374.html

Kevin Rudd's latest poll slump shows voters are starting to realise the prime minister is all talk and no action, a coalition frontbencher says.

But a Labor government minister says opinion polls were always going to tighten up in an election year.

The latest Newspoll, published in The Australian on Tuesday, shows Labor's primary vote has dipped to below 40 per cent for the first time since 2007.

Nevertheless, it holds an election-winning lead of 53-47 per cent after preferences are distributed.

Mr Rudd's personal approval rating remains unchanged at 50 per cent and he remains preferred prime minister by a big distance - 55-27 per cent - over Tony Abbott.

However, some of the gloss has vanished. Over the last five poll periods, Mr Rudd's approval rating has steadily slumped from 65 in late November (14 per cent for then opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull) to 55 per cent.

From a low of 14, approval of the opposition leader has steadily risen to 27.

Opposition legal affairs spokesman George Brandis said the overall trend across various polls showed a very distinct collapse in support for Mr Rudd.

"It's something a lot of us felt over the Christmas break and that is that there is a change in community sentiment towards Kevin Rudd in particular because people are becoming cynical about the big promises that don't turn into action," he told Sky News.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2010/s2820254.htm

MARK COLVIN: There are serious questions tonight about one of the companies involved in the Federal Government's home insulation scheme, and the training the business gave its workers.

The ABC has been told that one company the Federal Government accredited last year, had a previous history as a telemarketing business, and no prior qualifications in home insulation.

Within weeks of the company gaining accreditation, one of its workers was electrocuted while putting foil insulation into a home in Queensland.

Industry groups and unions met Commonwealth department officials in Canberra today about the future of the scheme.

From Canberra, Sabra Lane reports.

SABRA LANE: The unions and long-time installation companies have complained the Federal Government's home insulation scheme attracted "cowboys" into the industry.

The ABC's been given documents that raise serious questions about one business registered in Queensland. We were given the documents by a whistleblower who wants to remain anonymous.

The papers relate to the company Vision and Network Australia. Prior to July last year, it operated as a telemarketing business, selling phone deals, energy and Pay TV options.

But in September last year, it also had the business names Countrywide Insulation and Queensland Home Insulation registered. The company had also applied to the Federal Government to become accredited under its home insulation program.


Computer Sample Pictures. Travelling. Laptop stolen.