Loose cannons

Glad you explained that

"[British Prime Minister Tony Blair's] meeting with US President Bill Clinton, advisers and academics in Washington to set an intellectual framework to Democrat and British Labour policies [was] dubbed a 'wonkathon' by the US media after the American 'wonk' — slang for a policy expert ..." — Financial Review, February 9.

Silver linings

"Austrade is seeking to establish a $20 million venture capital fund to help Australian investors cash in on bargain-priced Korean assets in the wake of the financial crisis." — Financial Review, February 12.

What makes you sad?

"I've been training for this job for nine years, and if we left and then missed everything two weeks later, that would be a sad thing." — US fighter pilot Lieutenant Janet Jacobson, worried that she will be rotated out of the Gulf before the shooting starts.

Fancy that!

"The current system of work-related tax deductions provided little relief for most middle income wage and salary earners while yielding substantial benefits to many high income earners." — Professor John Baldry of the University of New England, on the results of a three-year tax study.

Through the floor

"I was trying to put a floor under the drop-out from private health [insurance] but haven't quite done that." — Federal health minister Michael Wooldridge, whose scheme to increase private health coverage from 32.3% to 34% instead produced a drop to 31.6%.

Practice makes perfect

"We must train like this so that when we are called on we can do it for real." — Captain Denis Mole after an Australian navy submarine hit the ocean floor, smashing its rudder and propeller.

From GLW issue 306