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1 week ago | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
“Many of those who started jogging when it became trendy in the 1970s, now have knee and hip problems,” writes Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS, who looks at the pros and cons of running. “The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass.” –Martin Mull (American actor)Jogging undoubtedly provides short-term health benefits, but whether it’s good for you in the long term is less certain.
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2 weeks ago | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
“The Australian ‘tall-poppy syndrome’, where individuals who achieve prominence are often cut down, ensures that no leader is spared criticism. Politicians, being highly visible figures, become easy targets for caricature,” writes Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS. Australians generally have a low opinion of politicians until after they’ve been dead for a while. Why is that so? Australia’s colonial history laid the foundation for its scepticism of authority.
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1 month ago | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
“Is it true that drowning could be pleasurable? It seems not. Drowning is in fact a terrifying and life-threatening experience,” writes Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS. “If tombstones told the truth, everybody would wish to be buried at sea.” –John W Raper (Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach)It’s a sad record for Australia that we seem to lead developed countries in the number of annual drownings per capita.
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1 month ago | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS jumps in the deep end with a look at swimming, wherever it occurs, and his impending ambition to swim six kilometres across the Bosphorus Strait.
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1 month ago | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
“Body temperature regulation is primarily controlled by the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that acts as the body’s thermostat.” Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS wonders if hot-blooded people really are. “I tried to give blood the other day. But the blood bank wouldn’t take it.
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2 months ago | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
“Canberrans lucky enough to have a garden will have an abundance of dinosaurs visiting.” How is that possible? Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS explains all. “I took a walk in Central Park and got all excited when I thought I saw a robin redbreast. Turned out to be a pigeon with a knife wound.” –David LettermanBirds evolved from theropod dinosaurs, a group of bipedal, mostly carnivorous dinosaurs.
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Feb 12, 2025 | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS got predictable responses when he researched an article on what gave people pleasure, so he changed his question and asked what people found annoying. Here they come again… Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much. –Oscar WildeFor those who came in late, in my last Whimsy column I looked at what annoyed or irritated people most in the areas of driving and phone and internet.
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Jan 29, 2025 | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
Opinion Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS got predictable responses when he researched an article on what gave people pleasure, so he changed his question and asked what people found annoying.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS devotes his column to digital living – the art of being constantly connected, yet somehow never truly there. Digital living is now the default setting of our lives. We’ve transitioned from the hum of the morning radio to the chirp of push notifications, all before we’ve even put the kettle on. In an era where your smart fridge knows you better than your neighbour does, the line between convenience and dependency is finer than ever.
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Jan 2, 2025 | 
citynews.com.au | Clive Williams
Why do we dream – and why do we dream what we dream? Why does time seem to fly during happy moments and drag during tedious ones? CLIVE WILLIAMS devotes his Whimsy column to pondering the imponderable. “No one can ever know for sure what a deserted area looks like.” –George CarlinImponderables in life refer to the perplexing and unanswerable questions that elude definitive answers, challenging our understanding and often defying logic.
