Loose cannons

Opportunity

"A great opportunity to get everyone to buy the same thing twice." — The head of a graphic design consultancy on why the logo for the Sydney 2000 Olympics is being redesigned.

Radical idea

"The whole idea that public education is for sale and schools are just another marketplace ... is something we really should resist." — The president of the NSW Parents and Citizens' Associations, on figures showing that more than 60% of donations and contributions to the state's public schools came from McDonald's and Coca-Cola Amatil.

Afraid it might allow some?

"US threatens Jakarta over human rights." — Headline in the Financial Review, August 7.

Trust us

"Our tests show nothing is coming off the site in dangerous levels. But no, we are not prepared to release the results — you will just have to take our word for it." — Richard Power, public affairs manager for Ford, on land the company owns in Sydney which is allegedly contaminated by toxic chemicals. A canal flows from the area through the Olympics site at Homebush.

Formula for success

"We couldn't run on policies because they [voters] thought we were liars on policy. We couldn't run on our record because they thought our record stunk." — ALP national secretary Gary Gray, explaining why Labor's federal election campaign focused on Paul Keating.

Investigative journalism

"Where did you get that tie?" — Journalist's question to US President Bill Clinton after the latter, at a press conference, announced NASA's discovery of evidence that life once existed on Mars.

From GLW issue 242