I had a vision once too, but it faded

And Life Dragged On

Squint and you might have a vision

HAD to have a bit of a chuckle at the Sunshine Coast’s legacy vision for the Brisbane 2032 Games released last week.

Firstly the name ‘10+10+ Vision’ caught me. What is that I wondered? A half finished equation? Borderline blindness?

I suspected if I had 10/10 vision I’d be needing a seeing eye dog just to get to the opening ceremony.

But no, apparently it means taking advantage of the 10 years before, during and after the Games, which still doesn’t make much sense (I’d hate to be pedantic but we’re only nine years out anyway).

This ‘important’ document which came in at 12 pages with lots of be being pursued all day every day regardless of an Olympics. It’s a pretty, feel good document, but I can’t help but feel all that really matters to most people is the infrastructure.

WORD JUMBLES

Reading widely, as I do, I thought I had a fairly good handle on the King’s English until I came across to the singer in the plural I asked,” I asked. “Oh, Sam is a them/they”, she said to clear up the confusion. Is that right? Well I certainly have no issue with pronouns. My teenagers keep me in check on that. But the issue is the context of it in an article. The assumed knowledge doesn’t sit too and refutes what he has been saying, yet somehow his source is not malicious.

Fact is the three turbine manufacturers I quoted are all very experienced electrical engineering businesses, but in their race to build bigger, better turbines, the cost is coming to billions of dollars. And who do you think will pay? The consumers of course, you and I, Mr and Mrs Average.

One company I mentioned was Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. They are listed as a premium manufacturer of offshore wind turbines, who reported a loss of $965 million last year and a costcutting program that will take 2,900 jobs, and that information was taken from YOUR Vesta’s website. Which you directed me to so I could “check my pearls of wisdom”. So, is that malicious enough for you? And I never said we should abandon the program, only that I believe they still have a lot of work to do. Right now, the cost far outweighs the benefits.

Yes, Mr Lowry, I do have a very dim view of the quality of Chinese turbines. In fact, I have a dim view of the quality of most Chinese products; I would have thought warehouses full of their faulty or failed products speaks for itself. But I won’t bore readers about my apparent misunderstanding of your eight-month payback period. I know what a payback period is, but it doesn’t change that theses turbines will NEVER payback what it cost to build them.

However, it is a pity that Australia doesn’t develop a wind turbine industry. I don’t doubt our engineers would build better, reliable turbines. But history has comfortably here. Is there anything wrong with having a bracketed explanation... (Pro: them/they) either at the first reference or even the end of the story? Even if it’s just for a year or two as we get our heads around it. It makes for hard reading if you’re worried the writer has had a stroke.

Outspoken presents Chris Sarra

Time: 6pm for 6:30pm start

Where: Maleny Community Centre