I've been to the mountaintop.

Colleagues and scholars from coast to coast, across Bass Strait and all the ships at sea.

Last week we witnessed an exceptional speech given by Noel Pearson at the memorial for Gough Whitlam. It led to discussions regarding other great speeches.

For mine, the most powerful speech I've seen was delivered by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the evening of April 3, 1968 called "I've been to the mountaintop".

He was assassinated the next day. He was only 39 years old.

Below is the transcript of the final section of that speech in which he prophetically speaks of his imminent demise and a YouTube link to him saying those words.

It is truly remarkable from a truly remarkable man.

"Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.

And I don't mind. 

Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!

And so I'm happy, tonight.

I'm not worried about anything.

I'm not fearing any man! 

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!!"

YouTube link here

"I've been to the mountaintop" full transcript and audio here.

Just a word

Colleagues and scholars from coast to coast, across Bass Strait and all the ships at sea.

With yet one more warning, in an endless torrent of warnings, from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change about the impact of human induced climate change on the planet; and despite the Secretary-General of the United Nations pleading that the "heat is on and we must act" because "there is no planet B"; we continue to witness inexcusable inertia from our political leaders.

An inertia, which most charitably can be viewed as this:

And much less charitably, though equally as accurately, as this:

Now just as we use a few short words to mark the great sacrifice that past generations had made for us, precisely so we'd never forget what they did:

Three words - so simple, yet so clear.

Make no mistake, in the decades to come, as the impact of climate change becomes even more obvious and our negligence becomes even more apparent, Gen Then will use just one word to mark the great 'sacrifice' that we have made for them, and precisely too so they'd never forget what we did:

One word - so simple, yet so clear.

Vale great spirit

Colleagues and scholars from coast to coast, across Bass Strait and all the ships at sea.

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." Albert Einstein.

Vale great spirit.

Trust: It's as simple as ABC.

Colleagues and scholars from coast to coast, across Bass Strait and all the ships at sea.

Dateline: Australia, Federal Politics and the Media, 2014.

The ABC continues to be accused relentlessly by some commentators, politicians and media outlets of bias in its reporting.

Therefore I thought it would be helpful to once again remind ourselves of what the public's opinion is of the quality of the reporting of various media outlets in Australia.

What better time to have measured that than during the heat of the 2013 federal election campaign when any bias would have been most easily detected.

On the 19th August 2013 Essential Research published its results to the following question:

"How much trust do you have in the way the following media have reported and commented on the election campaign so far? - A lot of trust, some trust, not much trust, no trust at all, don't know, don't use."

The combined responses (in descending order) to 'a lot of trust' and 'some trust' were as follows:

Media	A lot of trust/ some trust %
ABC TV	58
SBS TV	52
ABC Radio	49
The Age (VIC)	42
Sydney Morning Herald (NSW)	39
The Australian	31
Herald Sun (VIC)	30
Commercial TV	29
Commercial Radio	25
The Telegraph (NSW)	25
Courier Mail (QLD)	23

Fellas, we need to do much better.

Colleagues and scholars from coast to coast, across Bass Strait and all the ships at sea.

Dateline: Australia, Federal Politics, 2014.

There's little doubt that our political leaders need to do a lot better. Sartorially, they leave a great deal to be desired.  

No imagination, no creativity; just bland, bland, bland. Do they all buy off the rack from the same shop?

See for yourself, would watching paint dry not be more inviting?

Hence, it's well past time for a few ideas to help them just a little.

Now if they looked more like this, would the public not be a great deal more engaged?

Grown-up language

Colleagues and scholars from coast to coast, across Bass Strait and all the ships at sea.

Dateline: Australia, Federal Politics, 2014.

While I won't soil this post by reprinting the juvenile language used by our 'grown-up' Prime Minister and Finance Minister in the last week; I will illustrate, by contrast, how language has been used by genuine grown-up leaders, speaking to adults, with an authentic message to convey.

Take note political staffers, each of these quotes would also easily qualify for the modern-day imperative of a sound bite.

"We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all."

Pericles, during The Peloponnesian War, explaining the importance of Athenian citizens participating in democracy: The Funeral Oration, 431 BC.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Thomas Jefferson, bringing forth a new nation: The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.

"That government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth." 

Abraham Lincoln, explaining why The American Civil War was being fought: The Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863.

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Franklin D. Roosevelt, providing hope to the American public during The Great Depression: Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933.

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

Winston Churchill, recognising the efforts of the Royal Air Force during The Battle of Britain: Speech to The House of Commons, August 20, 1940.

"And so my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."

John F. Kennedy, inspiring a generation: Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961.

The Thrilla in Manila

Colleagues and scholars from coast to coast, across Bass Strait and all the ships at sea.

39 years ago today, millions around the world stopped to watch what is widely regarded to be the greatest heavyweight boxing match of all time: The "Thrilla in Manila" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

Ali predicted "It will be a killer and a chiller and a thriller when I get the gorilla in Manila!"

The fight was so brutal that Ali said afterwards it was the "closest I had come to dying" and that to win the fight he had to "borrow power that came from tomorrow." 

Ali also nominated Frazier as the greatest fighter he had fought and one of the all time greats.

You can view a short interview by Howard Cosell with Ali discussing highlights of the fight on YouTube here: 

You can view a very short interview by Norman Gunston with Ali pre-fight on YouTube here:

Ali to Gunston: "I'm punchy that's my excuse for being crazy, what's your reason?" 

You can view the Thrilla in Manila full fight on YouTube here: