LETTERS
Illustration: Cathy Wilcox
I love the idea of students learning an Asian language but Chris Rau is right (''Lost in translation - why Gillard's plan won't work'', October 31). It's just too hard, if my pathetic progress in getting my head around Korean is any indication. And that's under the patient tutelage of my beautiful daughter-in-law.
After many years of teaching children with learning difficulties, I find myself still at the kindergarten stage in Korean and need a good reading recovery teacher. I fear my future grandchildren will have graduated from high school before I become proficient.
Sandra Luckman Point Frederick
Chris Rau is being a bit too selective and restrictive when she uses only Mandarin and Japanese to make her case for the difficulty of learning an Asian language.
Indonesian uses the Roman alphabet and has no complex declensions or conjugations. With a bit of initial effort it is easy to learn good pronunciation, even in adulthood. It is also the national language of a populous near neighbour with whom we all hope for a good relationship.
With the greatly increased understanding of another culture that goes with language learning, plus the ability to win friendship by conversing even simply in another person's national language, if not their heart language, there is little excuse for not including Indonesian as an option in schools and universities.
David Morrison Springwood
As a teacher with 32 years' experience teaching languages in high schools in NSW (20 years as a languages head teacher), I completely agree with the views expressed by Chris Rau.
There have been many announcements throughout my career by many past prime ministers and even NSW premiers - often supported by education ministers, federal and state, as to the "need to promote languages learning in Australia". What empty words these have often been. Intricate plans drawn up only to disappear or be forgotten years later by different leaders of whatever political persuasion.
Isn't it about time that we realise we are sitting on a goldmine of human resources with the large number of schoolchildren from different language backgrounds in our schools? Let's ensure they receive a formal education in that language in our schools.
We don't need to "teach" Asian languages to compete with Asia, we simply need to ensure that languages spoken in the home are supported by schools and that these students then enter those fields: commerce, industry, education, government etc, so that they can fulfil their chosen career with the support of their background language.
Marco Man Croydon
Every English lesson should begin with 10 minutes of grammar basics.
Frank Hainsworth Burleigh (Qld)
Forget about spending billions learning Asian languages - by 2030, every young person in Asia (for that matter, the world) will be speaking English.
Andrew Tan Carlingford
Strange way to acknowledge value of the EDO's work
I strongly object to the reasons cited by the state government in closing the Environmental Defenders Office ("Public interest fighters launch campaign as funds slashed", October 30). I am a member of the public who cares about what happens to her environment.
Whether I'm a socialist is irrelevant and I resent being called one in a snide smear campaign by this set of arrogant politicians. Give us back our legal support, Barry O'Farrell, or has the EDO had too many wins for your liking?
Margaret McDonald Dubbo
I am appalled by NSW government tactics to reduce community input into state planning. Cutting funds to the EDO is an another example of giving power to vested interest and ignoring community wishes.
Over the years the EDO has assisted environmental groups and individuals with free advice and guidance to help preserve our environment against greedy developers who mostly disregard the importance of preserving what's left of our precious environment - especially in towns and villages. We need to save the EDO - it is essential to democracy.
Kristina Nilsson Old Erowal Bay
I was astonished to hear that the NSW government may cut funding to the Environment Defenders Office, simply because it does its job. It brings to mind the quotation: ''I may disagree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it.'' Apparently the O'Farrell government wants to hear only from those who agree with it, even if many of us think its policies are damaging NSW's wonderful environment.
The Liberal Party has in the past defended the right of people to say what they think. It is the EDO's role to do this on the legal level, and past governments have accepted that role as necessary, even if they were taken on in court. Now it seems the O'Farrell government is seeking to cut the modest funding that the EDO gets to do its job helping environmental groups speak out about breaches in the law. Shame!
Haydn Washington Middle Cove
Focus on education, engagement
Much of the discussion on the government's white paper on engagement with Asia has focused on the importance of engagement with Asia from the point of view of Australia's economic future.
As important as that may be, developing broader mutual understanding of Asian and Australian culture and society is important for many other reasons, including greater international co-operation on security and environmental issues, along with the more intangible satisfaction of knowing and communicating with our neighbours.
This week, 13 honours students in human geography at the University of Sydney made presentations on the results of research carried out for honours theses this year. Nine topics were on research carried out in Asia (four in India, three in Indonesia and one each in Laos and Bangladesh).
The topics varied widely, including resilience to flooding in Bangladesh and India, rural development in Laos and perceptions of people smuggling in Indonesia and Australia. All of these mini-projects involved short periods of field work (four to eight weeks) and intensive reading and background research.
Work like this contributes to the knowledge of the student, but also builds relationships with individuals and communities in the countries visited. Around this time of the year similar sessions have taken place in departments of Asian studies, geography and anthropology all over Australia.
After graduation some students will go into business, others into academia or journalism. Others may not actively become Asianists, but will be part of a wider public with understanding of an sympathy for our neighbours. Education on Asia and engagement with Asia is not just about business.
Robert Fisher Senior lecturer (human geography), University of Sydney
Casino's odds favour those prepared to fleece
''Reduces the risk for investors,'' says John Lee in concluding his article ("Casino panic at odds with the realities of tourism", October 31). Can we get serious here? The whole point of a casino is that the odds are always set in favour of the house. There is no risk to reduce.
I am not really fussed about high rollers choosing to lose their money at invitation-only tables, but I do object to one of Australia's wealthiest men getting the opportunity to fleece them without due process and a hefty upfront fee to our government. Perhaps such a fee could also have an annual component to assist those who gamble with money they cannot afford to lose.
Ray Farley Wentworth Falls
John Lee says ''the revenue from the hotel would not deliver a sufficient return to cover the cost of construction of such a building'' without a casino subsidising its cost.
Well, I guess it can't be built then, being a market-driven enterprise. Or is there one rule for 99.9 per cent of business start-ups and one rule for billionaire property/gambling moguls?
Benjamin Rushton Birchgrove
My father was what nowadays would be referred to as a ''high roller''.
Shortly after World War II he inherited a large sum of money. I don't know the amount but our family moved from the east end of London to a lovely property in Barnet, Hertfordshire. I was sent to a nearby poshy-poo private school where I was very happy.
My father joined an exclusive club somewhere near Pall Mall in central London. I forget the name of his favourite card game but within a year he had gambled away his fortune. We were forced to sell up and move to a grotty area of North London and I was taken out of my lovely school and sent to a harsh and horrible school that I hated. My father and mother divorced, my mother attempted suicide and for a while my life became a horror story.
So some enterprising club owner made a fortune out of my father but the cost to our family was incalculable. The public should take note of stories like mine when applauding the actions of billionaire entrepreneurs who are planning to fleece ''high rollers'' only.
Alan Douglas Telopea
Continental drift
So continental Australia is no longer within the migration zone (''Mainland removed from zone for asylum seekers'', October 31). Where are the gold medals for breathtaking hypocrisy and pollie waffle?
David Burke Ashfield
Sandy's fury all hot and cold air
Powered by a deadly combination of record high sea temperatures and an unusual stream of cold air emanating from a largely ice-free Arctic, Sandy has the fingerprints of global warming all over it. When the enormous cost of the clean-up and reconstruction is calculated, will we still hear people claiming that the price of taking action to reduce our carbon emissions is just too high?
Geoff Saunders Jamberoo
In the blink of a hurricane's eye, letters pour in from global-warming enthusiasts claiming that Sandy's devastation vindicates the predictions of climate scientists. The problem, as always, are the facts. While Sandy packed a punch, it was not as powerful as the ''Long Island Express'', the great storm of 1938 that killed more than 600 people. As for the increasing frequency of hurricanes, in 1933 there were 20 in a single season.
John Dorman Toowoomba (Qld)
Headline: ''Extensive loss of sea ice fuelling storm's fury'' (October 31). Abbott et al: ''Climate change is crap.'' Oh yeah?
Jan Carroll Potts Point
Inspired NextGen
Julia Gillard's recent and passionate stance on misogyny had women all over the country cheering as footage went viral, the YouTube video that involved Gillard telling Tony Abbot that if he wanted to know what a misogynist in modern Australia looked like he should look in a mirror amassing more than 2 million views in Australia.
In a step forward in Australian women's rights, the Macquarie Dictionary definition of misogyny was expanded to include ''the entrenched prejudices against women'' in the aftermath of Gillard's speech.
As new school captain of a Sydney girls' school already proud of our nation's first female prime minister, I was inspired not only by the content, but also the passion and strength with which it was delivered, something that Gillard, not generally recognised as an outstanding speaker, has lacked in the past. Frailty, thy name is certainly not Julia Gillard.
Alessandre Alonso Burwood
Men's equal rights
I am a little MIFT that, after all these years, there appear to be no incontinence pad receptacles in men's toilets.
As a recent recipient of surgery for prostate cancer and suffering incontinence, it is embarrassing to go to a public toilet with a plastic bag and nowhere to deposit a used incontinence pad. Block up the toilet? Put it in the paper hand towel receptacle? Walk out carrying my plastic bag?
If it is good enough for our women to have sanitary bins provided, let's have some commonsense for men in this situation, too. Let's start with one MIFT (Men's Incontinence Friendly Toilet) in each toilet block in shopping centres, service stations, registered clubs, councils, restaurants and cinemas by indicating with a small MIFT sign on one door that a receptacle is available.
Don't isolate us, it's depressing enough without embarrassing us and making us feel that we would rather stay home and be a recluse due to a lack of facilities. Let's fulfil a community need. Thanks to those who provide MIFT bins already.
Clive Quick Rous
Case of the missing billion
Superb news! (''$1b error: NSW swings from deficit to surplus'', smh.com.au, October 31). Now the NSW government can reinstate the $1 billion worth of education cuts with which it was about to vandalise the future of our state.
Kerrie Pierce Dulwich Hill
The LNP is trying to tell everyone they are the best government finance managers since sliced bread. If the can lose/find $1 billion just like that then they could just as easy lose it somewhere else. What a joke! They are no better or worse money managers than their Labor counterparts.
Jim Barnes Redland Bay (Qld)
Hard being male …
Life is not easy for blokes these days. If we have no particular affinity with women and/or dare to criticise them, we are misogynists; if we admire them and/or can't take our eyes off them, we are lecherous or sexist. It's becoming harder and harder to stay between the lines.
Ron Elphick Buff Point
… and female, too
Today is the anniversary of the Catholic Church's apology to Galileo. When is it going to reconsider its exclusion of women from the priesthood and its views on contraception and abortion? It might be wrong there, too.
Bill Orme Neutral Bay
Beach's pearl of work wisdom
I'm glad I don't live in Potts Point, but I think I'd rather live in Pearl Beach (''Workaholics prefer Potts Point, but it's go slow at the beach'', October 31).
Paula Wilson Surry Hills
Well, 29.4 hours per week in Pearl Beach? That may seem below par but many citizens in Pearl Beach are retired or semi-retired. Those who live here permanently put in a huge amount of voluntary work, such as in the magnificent Arboretum but also in the wider central coast and elsewhere. That is not included in the average work week, you would think. Indeed Pearl Beach is known as an active heritage community with a hardworking, proactive Progress Association. During summer and on long weekends it is a thriving tourist village.
Klaas Woldring Pearl Beach
Being home to the oldest profession in the world, the news that Potts Point residents are the hardest-working in Sydney hardly came as a surprise.
Peter Mahoney Oatley
Food for thought
Thinking about how much I like pumpkin (Letters, October 31), I would nominate a chiselled brussels sprout as a suitable vegetable for Halloween.
Bob Liddelow Avalon
Halloween? Choko jack o'lanterns? Tasteless!
Robert Hosking Paddington
Doug's hair flair
As a rapidly ageing letter writer I never envied Doug Anderson's column inches, but I wouldn't mind some of his hair.
David Markham Flynn (ACT)
