Willis's Walkabouts Newsletter 125, December 2023 ― Merry Christmas
You have one life. Find something you love to do and do it until the day you die. If you find a job that feels like play, you'll never have to work a day in your life.
If you are viewing this on a mobile, the newsletter and many of the links should work better in a horizontal format.
If you've ever worried about money, read the Burning $100 Bills section. It could help you sleep easier at night.
Restricted content. Articles marked * or ** are on restricted websites Click for more info, including how you can sometimes avoid the paywalls.
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In this issue
You've Got Only One Life
You have one life. Find something you love to do and do it until the day you die. If you find a job that feels like play, you'll never have to work a day in your life.
My life has been blessed. I am one of the few people I know who have succeeded in doing the above. Another is a friend named Jack Joyce who I met while travelling in Europe in 1970. Jack loved travel and he loved maps. Eventually, along with a friend of his, he founded International Travel Maps. (Their map of Namibia was the best single map I found for my recent visit.) If you're curious, you can read Jack's story here.
If you're curious about me, see the History page on our website. It links to three magazine articles that have been written about me.
That's two people.
What About You?
And what about your friends and family? Here are a few articles that may help you get closer to where you'd like to be.
- Do Hard Things
If you find your life unfulfilling, there is a 99% chance it's because you're not doing hard things. I don't care if you're making quilts. Do something, and try to be the best at it. - How to Handle Failure
If we train a generation to never fail, can they ever really succeed?
"When I reflect on my life, every hardship I've gone through, every failure I've experienced has been for a reason. It wasn't suffering for suffering's sake. There was something I had to learn from each of those experiences. So you fail, and you learn, and you get smarter, and you fail at different things, and you learn, and you get smarter still. But you never quit. There is a time to quit, eventually, but if you quit before it's time to quit, it's undignified. And if you give up, and never try anything again, you are a loser. And I don't use that word lightly, because of the connotations." - Dear Class of 2021: Don't Do Your Homework. Live Your Life. *
"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like, "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "no" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." - Have More Sex, Please! *
Not only are women and men marching together into sexlessness; they're also on the same road to loneliness.
Christmas ― Giving or Getting
I think it's giving and, in some cases, even a few dollars can make a difference. One of those cases is the Carolyn Lister Memorial Scholarship which supports female students in a remote part of PNG to train to become Community Health Workers. In early November, I had the privilege of attending a function where I learned more about it, almost to the point where I felt as if I knew some of the recipients.
PNG is our nearest neighbour. They need our help. Every dollar donated to a cause like this will have a far larger impact than ten dollars donated to a large organisation which has large administration expenses. If you'd like to know more about it, click the link in the paragraph above. If you'd like to donate, click here.
Burning $100 Bills
Would you deliberately burn a pile of $100 banknotes as shown? If you have credit card debt that rolls over month after month, that's exactly what you are doing. The average credit card balance which is being charged interest every month is $1375. At the average credit card interest rate of 17.92% (which will rise if the RBA raises the interest rate again), the average credit card holder is paying almost $250 in interest per year. That's an average. Some people are wasting thousands of dollars every year. If you'd like a detailed picture of credit card debt in Australia, have a look at Credit Card Debt Statistics 2023.
There is a better way.
No Worries
Most personal finance literature is focused on getting people the most money and therefore doing things that increase their stress. It causes them to think about money all the time. People shouldn't be thinking about money all the time. Instead, they should aspire to not think about it at all.
In previous newsletters, I've referred to Jared Dillian Money, a free newsletter, most of the content of which is as applicable in Australia as it is in the US where Jared is based. He has now written a book which will come out in January. It's called No Worries: How to live a stress-free financial life. Even some billionaires stress about money. Unless you are incredibly poor, stress is not necessary. I try not to waste my money, but I generally don't stress about it either.
The link above will take you to a page with links to different providers. Amazon will ship to Australia and has a Kindle version. Click the international link to go to Booktopia for a hard copy in Australia. I think the link to this book is one of the best Christmas presents I can give my readers, so to give you an incentive to click, here's what Amazon and Booktopia both say about the book.
- No Worries shows how anyone can live a stress-free financial life and build wealth for the long term.
- This is not about millions of tiny decisions that drain the joy from life, like skipping daily coffee to save a few bucks. And it's not simply about having more money.
- The secret lies in adopting the right attitude to money and getting a small number of big things right.
- In his unique style, drawing on decades of expertise, finance expert Jared Dillian tells the truths about essential personal finance topics and helps you to see things as you never have before.
- Jared reveals:
- how the right kind of abundance mindset works wonders
- how to purge the urge to splurge (without making life a drag)
- the most effective ways to use credit cards that no one tells you about
- the smart ways to buy big-ticket items, from houses to cars
- what's gone wrong with student loans and how to use them sensibly
- how to ace investing with the set-and-forget Awesome Portfolio.
- No matter where you're at, Jared can help you get your finances in better shape than 99% of other people ― so that you can get on with your life as your wealth builds.
- Do that and you'll have no financial stress, and no worries.
WW 2024
$1200 Discount
Our two major wet season expeditions are both definite departures and small groups. We'd like to share these experiences with more people so we've taken $1200 off the list price of each of them.
- Kakadu Super Circle No. 1: 14 Jan - 8 Feb
No one else offers a trip like this where you get to visit both Jim Jim and Twin Falls in the wet season when they are flowing at their best. A helicopter food drop (or two) keeps pack weight manageable. - Bungles in the Wet: 18 Feb - 2 Mar
The Bungle Bungles in the Wet look completely different to the Bungles in the Dry ― lush, green, every creek flowing. Unless you want to do an 80 km walk from the highway, the only way in or out is by helicopter. We've done this before. We know the best ― and safest ― places to camp, the best sights to see, and more.
Park managers seem to be getting more risk averse every year. We don't know how long we'll be able to keep offering these trips. Get in now if you want to be sure of a visit.
40th Anniversary
In February 1984, before I registered the "Willis's Walkabouts" business name, I took my first paying customers into the Top End Wet. Most of the places we visited on those trips are no longer accessible. Some are. To celebrate the anniversary, I created the Russell's 40th Anniversary Wet Season Special: 4-25 Feb.
This trip consists of the things I most want to do myself. It's divided into three sections, any of which can be done on its own.
Namibia 2024
Everyone had such a good time on our 2023 trip to Namibia that I decided to run another one in 2024, this time with more multi-day walks. (There will be other options for those who don't want to do all the longer walks.) Amazingly, I got the first booking before I finalised the itinerary. Amazing, but necessary. Many of the walks we want to include book out early. Booking requires paying a deposit. I can't make those bookings until I have people booked.
If you'd like a taste of what the 2023 trip was like, please have a look at our Facebook page where I've been posting a variety of photos from this year's trip. More will follow.
Misc
How long can WW survive? We can't run a trip unless we have bookings well in advance. Many of our guides have other jobs and need to organise time off. That's why we offer such good advance purchase discounts. With the exception of a few special trips, people are tending to book later. In some cases that means we've cancelled a trip before we get a booking. We've already had to cancel the January 2024 Kakadu Highlights No. 1. Others will follow unless bookings start coming in soon. There are three more trips I'd like to mention.
- Drysdale Pack Rafting: 24 March - 6 April
Save $780 if you pay by 16 December. - Karijini: 7-20 April
We've got two bookings but need more. It's a great trip but it is also particularly hard to organise so we'll have to cancel by mid January unless we have another booking or two. - Kakadu Circle No. 1: 5-26 May
Of all the Kakadu trips we offer, this is my personal favourite. It's been years since we've been able to do it. This might be my last chance.
Brave New World
Today
Teens Don't Really Understand That the World Can See What They Do Online, but I Do *
What you post may be there for as long as there is an internet.
"Famous or not, teenagers today have never known a world without social media, so it's easy to assume they just understand all the risks that come with making their personal lives public. But even for the most digitally savvy among us, it can be hard to conceptualize just what global visibility really means. This is especially true of teenagers, who are prone to risky behavior and bad judgment, and who are ill equipped to assess the potential impact of their actions. At a time when sites like TikTok have become the de facto way teenagers connect with friends, they're much more likely to post a stray thought or embarrassing admission (or worse) with no consideration that it might end up capturing the attention of the world."
If you have teenagers or younger, or grandchildren who are teenagers of under, definitely a must read.
Tomorrow is Here
AI is here to stay. It will transform our society in ways we can barely imagine.
- Can you spot the AI impostors? We found AI faces can look more real than actual humans
- These look like prizewinning photos. They're AI fakes. **
Artificially generated images of real-world news events proliferate on stock image sites, blurring truth and fiction - How about glasses that let you video & livestream whoever you are looking at without them noticing.
I saw the ad here and later saw the glasses. If you weren't looking, you wouldn't see the camera or mike.
Coming Soon ― The Naked Untruth
AI fake nudes are booming. It's ruining real teens' lives. **
Artificial intelligence makes it frighteningly easy to transform ordinary pictures into realistic nudes, triggering a surge of fake images of women and teens
I forgot to mark this article when I first saw it. When I tried searching, I found lots of sites offering to help you generate nude photos of real people. The genie is out of the bottle. I don't think it can be put back. It's only a matter of time before almost everyone has nude versions of themselves circulating on the web. My guess is that people will simply have to give up and accept it. it will take years, maybe decades, but it will happen. (Times change. Think of the nudity on Australian TV back in the 1970s; at some point, it will return.)
As an aside, I wonder if we're going to be seeing AI generated versions of nude American politicians in the coming election. If it happens, their reaction will win or lose them votes. Interesting thought. And interesting to wonder what it will be like in ten years time.
The Original 'Brave New World'
How many recognised the reference in the heading. Brave New World
"In 1999, the Modern Library ranked Brave New World at number 5 on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. In 2003, Robert McCrum, writing for The Observer, included Brave New World chronologically at number 53 in "the top 100 greatest novels of all time", and the novel was listed at number 87 on The Big Read survey by the BBC. Brave New World has frequently been banned and challenged since its original publication. It has landed on the American Library Association list of top 100 banned and challenged books of the decade since the association began the list in 1990.
Understanding China
The West is facing many challenges. So is China.
Women in China
- Young Chinese Women Are Defying the Communist Party *
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Why Chinese women are denied legal land rights **
In the interests of order, the party sides with a reactionary majority. But, as per my last issue, SOME land rights, e.g. owning a property, do exist.
Chinese Migration
- Growing Numbers of Chinese Migrants Are Crossing the Southern Border *
More than 24,000 Chinese citizens have been apprehended crossing into the United States from Mexico in the past year. That is more than in the preceding 10 years combined. - China Is Suffering a Brain Drain. The U.S. Isn't Exploiting It. *
"China's brightest minds, including tech professionals, are emigrating, but many are not heading to America. We spoke to them to ask why."
The Chinese Economy
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China's slowing economy, seen from ground level **
A bossy, secretive party is ill-suited to fixing a crisis of consumer confidence. -
China's 40-Year Boom Is Over. What Comes Next? **
The economic model that took the country from poverty to great-power status seems broken, and everywhere are signs of distress.
This article is from the Wall Street Journal. You should be able to read at least one free article. Theoretically "Searching and headlines are free, plus you'll get 10 free articles." - Geopolitical Futures Special Report on China
"No country in history has amassed so much debt so quickly as China has without succumbing to a financial meltdown"
"What Beijing fears most is a shock ― whether triggered by an external bubble or by a rupturing of any one of its interconnected internal socioeconomic fault lines ― that sows panic, overwhelms its ability to respond, and exposes the inherent rigidity and clumsiness of its tightly centralized system. - Gold Bars and Tokyo Apartments: How Money Is Flowing Out of China. *
Chinese families are sending money overseas, a sign of worry about the country's economic and political future. But a cheaper currency is also helping exports.
Misc
China Joins the Chaos
It's very short, but well worth the read. It's another one from Geopolitical Futures. If you want to make sense of the world in a way that you can never do with the mainstream press, it's worth joining up. Click the link and see what specials are on offer.
Political Corruption
Censoring the Press
The NT has a small, independent news service called the NT Independent. Our current chief minister has continued the ban instigated by her predecessor which prevents the NT Independent from attending any government press conference. That kind of ban should be illegal. That on its own should be reason enough for voting for someone else. (Having said that, I think the NT desperately needs the equivalent of the Teals in some southern electorates. I don't have much time for either of our major parties.)
It's so bad that three years ago, the Senate unanimously passes motion calling on NT Government to reverse ban on media publication. Nothing has changed. What do they have to hide?
For what it's worth, the NT Independent won the NT Media Award for best crime reporting earlier this year. (Scroll down to the winners). Go through the other links and you'll see that they won the 2022 award for best news coverage. They may not be completely unbiased (what news source is) but they are a reputable news organisation. Banning them from press conferences is the first step in a slide toward the end of our democratic system.
Misc
- Jailing whistleblowers Richard Boyle and David McBride would 'stain' Australia's reputation, crossbench MPs say
In letter to Albanese government, dozens of MPs warn prosecutions of whistleblowers are at odds with public interest . The fact that the case has got this far shows just how bad we are. - Albanese government accused of 'blatant hypocrisy' as more than 2,000 Senate questions go unanswered
Opposition and Greens say government promised greater transparency but is failing to live up to integrity mandate.
In this respect, no better than the government they replaced. I can't see this changing until minor parties & independents hold the balance of power and can force the government to release info. -
Rex Patrick in renewed legal fight over Australia's 'broken' freedom of information system
Former senator appeals federal court ruling that information watchdog's lengthy delays were not unreasonable as it was bound by funding.
Neither major party wants you to know the details of what they are doing
An Australian Tragedy
When things like this are allowed to happen, it's only a matter of time before our society collapses.
When a traffic controller is paid more than a teacher or nurse **
"Labour costs are a major contributor to the cost blowouts of the Victorian government's so-called 'Big Build' infrastructure projects. The abolition of the Australian Building & Construction Commission has allowed unions to dominate the construction industry and dictate the terms and conditions for the enterprise agreements of subcontractors. This has resulted in traffic controllers ― the people who hold slow and stop signs at building sites ― being paid $126,200 a year; the job requires only a two-day training course. In contrast, the starting salary for a registered nurse in Victorian public hospitals is $72,000 and that of a state school teacher is $78,000; both roles require tertiary qualifications.
As long as things like this are true, I don't see any long term hope for this country.
Driving
Electric Vehicles
I know someone who recently drove an electric vehicle from Darwin to Brisbane and someone else who drove one from Darwin to Perth. They both got stuck with one very slow charge but otherwise managed fine. It's early days for EVs in Australia. It won't be long before it's easy.
- Cost.
- Cost to Charge an Electric Car in Australia: Everything You Need to Know (2023)
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How much does it cost to charge an electric car in Australia?
Similar to the one above. "With fluctuating petrol prices prompting car buyers to consider the switch to electric cars, we examine the true cost of charging an electric vehicle, both at home and on the road." -
Is it cheaper to refuel your EV battery or gas tank? We did the math in all 50 states. **
Same story in America.
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The Popularity of E-Bikes Isn't Slowing Down *
Motorized bicycles are outselling all-electric cars and have the potential to transform urban transit. -
The embarrassingly easy, tax-free way for Australia to cut the cost of electric cars
As true now as when it was written. The only difference is that a different party is in power, doing the same old things
Driverless Cars
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California just opened the floodgates for self-driving cars **
After a state regulatory board ruling, San Francisco will have 24/7 robotaxis on its streets. A Washington Post analysis shows how it's a pivotal moment for the industry. - 'Lost Time for No Reason': How Driverless Taxis Are Stressing Cities *
In San Francisco and Austin, Texas, where passengers can hail self-driving vehicles, the cars have added to the workloads of city employees.
Why Australia Imports Cars No One Else Wants
- World's rejected cars heading our way if poor fuel standards remain
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Australia's high-polluting utes spark calls to change fuel-efficiency laws
Climate Council report says carmakers funnelling their least efficient utes to Australia due to lack of fuel-efficiency standards
Misc
- The Exceptionally American Problem of Rising Roadway Deaths *
Why other rich nations have surpassed the U.S. in protecting pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. - 'I'll call an Uber or 911': Why Gen Z doesn't want to drive **
Zoomers are shunning cars and driver's licenses. Will it last? - States love jokes on road safety signs. The feds aren't laughing. **
States like using jokes to get drivers to buckle up or drive sober, but federal authorities say the messages themselves are a hazard
I think the US federal response is more bureaucracy gone mad.
WW Transport
As Stick Shifts Fade Into Obscurity, Collectors See Opportunity *
Cars with manual transmissions, even late models, are holding their value as the collector market hunts for rarity.
All our WW cars are all manual. We need clients who can drive them. Most still can but an increasing number can't drive a manual transmission.
Your Health
Anything
ANYTHING ― even sleeping― is better for your heart than this activity that we all do every day.
Photos Can Kill
- Dangerous selfies aren't just foolish. We need to treat them like the public health hazard they really are
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Trampling plants, damaging rock art, risking your life: taking selfies in nature has a cost
Many people have been severely injured or killed by taking risky selfies and photos in dangerous locations.
Misc
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Australians living longer but working in poor health in later life, research shows
Research suggests those who left school before year 12 are losing years of healthy life - 'I don't want treatment': study shows financial toll of cancer is leading Australians to delay or stop care
I thought stories like this were only in America. I was wrong. -
Too young: why are Australians under 50 increasingly being diagnosed with cancer?
Globally since the 1990s rates of certain cancers have increased markedly in younger people, prompting some researchers to label early-onset cancer as "an emerging global epidemic". - A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. Her story may change psychiatry. **
New research suggests that a subset of patients with psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia may actually have autoimmune disease that attacks the brain.
Moving story. How things can work if we let them.
The Lighter Side
Articles I found interesting
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Don't you dare rake your leaves this fall
The importance of insects and what you can do to help **
"Without insects," the legendary biologist E.O. Wilson wrote nearly 40 years ago, "I doubt that the human species could last more than a few months." - An oral history of the March on Washington, 60 years after MLK's dream **
- The one above goes with At 92, MLK's speechwriter confronts a new 'insane' moment in U.S. history **
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It's Rat Girl Summer. Grab a snack. **
"Rat Girl Summer, a TikTok movement that emphasizes living like a rat: scurrying around the streets at all hours of the day and night, snacking to your heart's delight, and going to places you have no business going to."
I'm not sure what to make of it. What do you think?
Humour
Just when you thought nothing could go wrong ....
Four short videos.
- All terrain vehicle
- Cooking
- Ice golf ― repetitive but makes the point
- Noodle trip― have you ever had a day like this?
Stop Press!
Water Wars ― You Can Help
Just before I was ready to send this, I got a notice about a special Water Wars Webinar, Tuesday 5th December 2023
12:30PM - 1:30PM Darwin
2:00PM - 3:00PM Sydney
This is an issue dear to my heart. Science be damned! I think this is one of the most disastrous examples of the 'develop at any cost' mentalities I've seen. It has the potential to be incredibly destructive. Here's some background.
- The Georgina Wiso Water Allocation Plan is the largest single water allocation in the NT's history, and allocates 1.68 trillion litres of water (210 billion litres of water per year over 8 years) to industry from an aquifer that keeps the Roper and Daly Rivers flowing. The plan paves the way for development and expansion of fracking and cotton farming in the region.
- The controversial draft plan was heavily criticised when released for public comment in late 2022, with 18 water experts from across the nation extraordinarily writing to the Chief Minister to ask her to stop the plan's declaration and put a moratorium on water licences. These experts included Professor Sue Jackson, Professor Barry Hart, Professor Quentin Grafton, Professor Marcia Langton, Professor Richard Kingsford, and Professor Anne Poelina.
- A 2022 report by Professor Matthew Currell and Dr Christopher Ndehedehe stated that the draft Georgina Wiso Water Allocation Plan could endanger the NT's iconic rivers, springs, aquifers and billabongs, as well as numerous sacred sites.
- In addition, the government's own scientific advice warned that significant allocations from the aquifer could cause the iconic Roper River to stop flowing by changing the direction of flow of the aquifer that discharges into it. Since submissions closed in late December 2022, there has been no formal response from the government to these concerns. The water allocation plan was not developed by water advisory committees in accordance with usual NT Government practice, and the National Water Initiative. It incorporates environmental baseline studies which were recently found to have "critical knowledge and data gaps" by Professor Matthew Currell.
The webinar is now over. Click here to see the recording.
News About This Newsletter
Restricted websites. The NY Times allows non-subscribers to look at ten free articles each month. I've got more links than that in this newsletter so I've marked them with a red asterisk (*) so that you can choose which are of most interest to you. Bloomberg allows three free articles. The Washington Post and The Economist both have limits but I'm not sure what the current limits are so I've marked their articles with a double red asterisk (**).
How to Get Past a Paywall to Read an Article for Free
Even if you regularly support journalism by paying, sometimes you need to get around it.
Coming Next Issue
• Water? How much longer can we take it for granted?
• Younger generations? They will make the decisions that affect the end of our lives.
• Death of Democracy. Democracy is under threat around the world.
• Not sure what else. It will be a surprise to me as well as you.
• When? Hopefully January
As always, I welcome a bit of feedback about some of the things in this newsletter and suggestions for the next one.
Sending the newsletter
I'm now using a paid version of MailChimp to send all of the newsletters. I'm now sending this to just over 2200 people; not sure what I'll need to do if the list goes over 2500.
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, to you all!!
Russell Willis