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oDDBall analysis of conservative politics with a libertarian economic conservative twist. Small government, big freedom.
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October 20, 2021
On this day, 20th Oct 2015

Australia’s education system is of a high standard. She has deserved her reputation for academic excellence. And she is flawed and needs reform. Both statements are true. But the case for effective reform is stymied by misrepresentations of issues. Cheating by students is a problem everywhere in the world. And new technology is making it very challenging for universities to preserve free and open inquiry while maintaining rigorous standards. Yet, without strong evidence to the contrary, that is being done. Also, it is historical and legendary that students are not competent but prone to alcoholic indulgence and partying. It is hardly likely that Chinese Students are alone in this. Also, the issue of assignments and group work is misunderstood by participants and sometimes the educators themselves. No student graduates based on group work.

Australia has a growth industry with international students which is independent of the mining boom or internal economic cycle. Their fees help subsidise Australians in higher education. Not all international students are wealthy. Some third world nations send their students to Australia to be educated, but leave it to the students to work and find accommodation, while the government denies those students basic amenities and tax relief. Many turn a blind eye as students are exploited. Maybe some turn to prostitution to fund their studies. Many also work above hours for cash in hand. Many international students can’t party and fraternise with local students, and that could fuel envy on both sides.

Australia’s higher education system needs reform. She is not biased, but partisan with the left, with senior academic boards over run with ALP favouring appointments that vote in blocks against independent academics. Which is partly why there are so few conservative think tanks in Australia, or conservative media journalists. Students are overly subsidised. No one seriously suggests not subsidising students, but the current levels are unsustainable. So that our children will not be able to enjoy a fair education our students do. Upper tier universities like UNSW, Sydney, Melbourne and a few others would like to do postgraduate duties which they do very well. While universities like UWS and Newcastle could do much better focusing on undergraduates. But the government won’t let them for equity reasons irrelevant to excellence in education.

Stories of students cheating dates back to the formation of schools in ancient Greece and Ancient China. But universities are resilient to cheating practice and there is no evidence of widespread rooting as is claimed by some. But there is evidence that universities aren’t producing students satisfactory to business. But the international students, anecdotally, are superior to local students in all areas except language. And sometimes they exceed there too. But group work is hell even where there is none of the celebrated diversity. When Joan Kirner was lauded for her second rate secondary education reforms, group work was all the rage. It took reforms introduced by my father, the late Professor Samuel Ball to address those issues, and I’m confident universities employ those techniques today. So that group work assignments get followed by related tests. And students who did not do the assignments would not know how to excel at those tests. The students are not aware of all the things universities do to spot cheating, nor should they know. It is their job to learn their courses, not how to cheat.

There is no history of most students satisfying with their skills gained through studies. The highest achieving students, however, are a good group to focus on student achievement over time. International students bring Australia credit.

Turnbull won't push for reform in this election cycle.

Canada has lost an extremely good PM for the son of an inept one.

For some, at the moment, the Sex Party has more credibility.

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November 27, 2022
Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin' and blowin' up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh

Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin' feet
That's the jingle bell rock

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bell chime in jingle bell time
Dancin' and prancin' in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air

What a bright time, it's the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin' in a one-horse sleigh

Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin' feet
That's the jingle bell
That's the jingle bell
That's the jingle...

00:02:04
September 01, 2021
Intro to Locals for the Conservative Voice

David Daniel Ball calls himself the Conservative Voice.

I'm a teacher with three decades experience teaching math to high school kids.I also work with first graders and kids in between first grade and high school. I know the legends of why Hypatia's dad is remembered through his contribution to Math theory. And I know the legend of why followers of Godel had thought he had disproved God's existence.

I'm not a preacher, but I am a Christian who has written over 28 books all of which include some reference to my faith. Twelve blog books on world history and current affairs, detailing world events , births and marriages on each day of the year, organised by month. Twelve books on the background to and history of Bible Quotes. One Bible quote per day for a year. An intro to a science fiction series I'm planning, post apocalyptic cyber punk. An autobiography with short story collections.

I'm known in Australia for my failure as a whistleblower over the negligence death of a school boy. ...

00:01:50
Memo to France

What exactly have the Palestinians done to demonstrate they’re ready for a state?

Some observations:

📷 There are still 50 hostages in Gaza

📷 They refuse every ceasefire proposal

📷 The Palestinian Authority hasn’t held elections since 2006

📷 Corruption is rampant

📷 Children are taught to glorify terrorism

📷 There’s no accountability, no rule of law, and no democratic institutions

So tell us, Emmanuel Macron: what part of this looks like a state-in-waiting?

https://x.com/ddball67/status/1949284310336598058

An appalling meme on climate change

An appalling meme. Does it really highlight the dangers of climate change? What is protecting Poland from carbon dioxide?

https://x.com/ddball67/status/1949277289541484738

Hasten to your light worship song

Embrace the urgency of Psalm 119:60 today—turn to Jesus without delay, stripping away any pretense or hesitation. Be wholehearted in your loyalty to God, seek His mercy boldly, and commit to obedience even amidst life's snares. Let this song be your anthem: sing it, live it, and watch how swift surrender transforms your walk with Him. Start now—reflect on His commands and step forward in faith! Like subscribe and comment. I read all comments.

Hasten to Your Light Verse 1 In the quiet of my soul, I hear Your call so clear No more waiting in the shadows, drawing ever near You see right through my heart, no masks or empty show With open arms You wait, in mercy's gentle flow

Chorus I hasten to Your commands, no delay in my step Turning to Jesus now, in Your love I'm kept Wholehearted in my loyalty, seeking mercy's grace Obedience is my song, even in the darkest place Among the snares that surround me, I run into Your light It's always good to turn to You, day or ...

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Ballad of Jampijinpa: A Warlpiri Dreamtime Bambi in the Tanami Desert
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Journey to the Tanami Desert with the Ballad of Jampijinpa, a Warlpiri Jukurrpa retelling of Bambi. Follow Jampijinpa, a young red kangaroo, as he learns the sacred laws of his Country from Napangardi, faces dangers like the machine’s shadow, and rises as a leader under the Seven Sisters’ stars. This Dreamtime story celebrates Warlpiri culture, resilience, and connection to the land. Comment your favorite Indigenous story below! Subscribe for more Warlpiri tales and join my Locals for exclusive Jukurrpa insights.
The story of Bambi is, for many, their first encounter with profound loss. Writing this story in Warlpiri Dreamtime, Tanami Desert context. Loss is part of life, yet life goes on. But, a good life, serving the community is also important. How do Indigenous stories like Jampijinpa’s inspire you?
 
Notes on the Adaptation: Setting and Characters: The Tanami Desert replaces the forest, with native animals (red kangaroo, dingo, mallee fowl, perentie) as characters, reflecting the local ecology. Warlpiri skin names (Jampijinpa, Napangardi, etc.) root the characters in kinship systems, central to Warlpiri identity. Jukurrpa: The Dreamtime frames the story as a sacred narrative, where loss and growth are part of the land’s law. The “shadow” (a machine) nods to modern intrusions like mining, a real threat in the Tanami, but keeps the story timeless. Themes: Bambi’s coming-of-age becomes a journey of learning country and law, emphasizing Warlpiri values of responsibility and connection. The mother’s death and the fire echo Bambi’s trials but are grounded in desert realities. Cultural Respect: I avoided inventing sacred details or mimicking restricted Warlpiri stories, focusing on universal elements (land, kinship, survival) informed by public Warlpiri narratives, like those shared in art or ethnographies.
 
The Ballad of Jampijinpa In Tanami’s heart where the spinifex sways, ‘Neath the Jukurrpa’s first starlit blaze, The ancestors carved from the red desert’s hand, Young Jampijinpa, to guard sacred land.
Chorus: Oh, Jampijinpa, with bounds swift and free, Carry the law of your country’s decree. Through sand and through sorrow, your spirit will roam, In the Tanami’s dreaming, you’ll always find home.
Napangardi taught him the desert’s old ways, Where soakages shimmer through blistering days. The bilby’s soft tracks led to yams in the ground, And the wind whispered tales when no rain could be found. With Jangala, dingo, he leaped o’er the plain, While Nungarrayi tidied the earth’s ancient pain. The oaks sang of patience, the elders stood near, Their ochre-lit eyes guiding young kangaroo’s fear. But dawn brought a shadow, a roar cold as stone, A machine’s cruel hunger tore flesh from the bone. Napangardi fell, her spirit took flight, To the ancestors’ campfire in the starwoven night.
Chorus: Oh, Jampijinpa, with bounds swift and free, Carry the law of your country’s decree. Through sand and through sorrow, your spirit will roam, In the Tanami’s dreaming, you’ll always find home.
Alone, he wandered, his heart like a stone, The sand stung his eyes, and the silence did moan. But Japangardi rose, scales gleaming bright, “You’re never lost, son, in the Jukurrpa’s light.” The bilby taught digging, the oak whispered peace, Nungarrayi scratched paths where the stories increase. Jangala’s yips brought a laugh to the blaze, And Jampijinpa grew strong through the desert’s hard days. Then Nakamarra, with dawn in her gaze, Danced by his side through the sandhills’ soft maze. But fire returned, born of shadow’s old sin, Yet Jampijinpa led kin to the soakage within.
Chorus: Oh, Jampijinpa, with bounds swift and free, Carry the law of your country’s decree. Through sand and through sorrow, your spirit will roam, In the Tanami’s dreaming, you’ll always find home.
Atop the red dune, his shadow stretched far, A keeper of law ‘neath the desert’s bright star. The elders now sing from their camp in the sky, And Jampijinpa’s tracks never fade, never die.
Final Chorus: Oh, Jampijinpa, your story’s been spun, A thread in the Jukurrpa, forever begun. The Tanami dreams, and its stars softly call, For the kangaroo’s heart that will never grow small.
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