Dick Smith
Dick Smith has complained yet again that something he produced has been “”“”“banned”“”“”.
The man knows how to cause a ruckus.
What’s on your mind?
When you walk into the Commonwealth Bank you don’t see advertisements on the walls attacking banks for paying obscene salaries to their executives. McDonalds would refuse to place banners outside its stores stating that Big Macs are rubbish and the Whopper is a superior burger. In a similar vein, News Limited, the publisher of this website, has taken the unremarkable commercial decision not to use its products as a vehicle to trash its reputation.
The person in question is Dick Smith and the material is a 28-page magazine he has written called Dick Smith’s Magazine of Forbidden Ideas That You Won’t Read About in the Mainstream Media.
As a businessman, Smith has harnessed the concept of martyrdom – be it real or imagined – as his preferred marketing technique. He has made millions presenting himself as a nuggetty Aussie battler taking on the big guys, despite being bigger than most in Australian business.
Continue reading "Our loudest, richest victim of a conspiracy of silence" »
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Kai says:
I am pretty sure that famine is not caused by overpopulation; natural disasters and bad crops can cause short term famines, long term ones are casued by ongoing disruptions to infrastructure (i.e. war). I am also pretty sure that I was taught at uni that Australia naturally tends towards monopolies… Read more »
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DocBud says:
Arthur, You should read this: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/08/ff_apocalypsenot/all/ You can then stop fretting about things that are far less of a problem than you imagine and can start living a little. If you’ve been worrying about the so-called population time-bomb for 30 years you’v got some catching up to do on those… Read more »
Dick Smith, the former electronics giant, is a household name, an Australian icon. A former Australian of the Year, he was awarded an Order of Australia in 1999 “as a benefactor to charitable organisations”.
By any measure, he has earned the right to vent his opinion in public. His recent argument in favour of naming and shaming Australia’s mega-rich who do not give philanthropy garnered headlines nationwide and would have raised eyebrows – and probably voices – at the top end of town.
But we should be grateful for his candour. Few people have such courage, fortitude and leadership. And whether you loved or loathed his comments, he has done an important service in kick-starting a critically important conversation.
Continue reading "Dick Smith’s guilt trip for the mega rich" »
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Peters B says:
Well I’ve just discovered today that dick smith has taken back his donated helicopter from the power house museum. Talk about Indian giving? So he gets the tax deduction in 1991 and then takes his 1 million dollar helicopter back ! Wow… generosity… appears for show with a tax break… Read more »
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DocBud says:
palone, “would have recognised the Orwellian reference to the ‘frog’ being quick to change from one environment to another as soon as the original position became untenable.” Not sure it is in anyway Orwellian, but either way, since your comment was the first response to the first post by Destry,… Read more »
Legendary philanthropists are often also legendary tight-arses.
Oil man John Paul Getty, whose now multi-billion dollar trust and art collection underpin the J. Paul Getty Museums in California, had a payphone installed in his London mansion Sutton Place.
“The guests won’t mind paying for their calls,” he said, “and as for the deadbeats, I couldn’t care less.”
Continue reading "Research finds super rich also super tight" »
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hlvylmjhoos says:
uxcbmhifepvwiyqlkmqfltrbscn, Renegade Diet, pohigioxp, Buy The Renegade Diet, aIFkfeksq, http://hypotheekaflossingsvrije.net/ The Renegade Diet Review, ghHsbrscw, Satellite Direct, grVwmSgSK, Satellite Direct Review, SsEHPjgRn, http://conception-dz.net/ Satellite Direct Reviews, MPfeBhLwH, Disney World Vacation And Savings Travel Guide, lvUbaXSSQ, Disney World Vacation And Savings Travel Guide Review, AQRwNeqOg, http://mobilis-tv.com/ Disney World Vacation And Savings… Read more »
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mind your own business says:
Another whacky publicity seeking stunt form Dick Smith. Comparing Ralph Norris with billionaires Buffet and Gates is unfair. What’s worse, it ignores their contributions to UN programmes for which they make certain demands - that isn’t philanthropy that is imperialism with money. And what is so magical about 20%. In… Read more »
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