Strangest story of the week

Broadcaster Phillip Adams who chairs the Late Night Live program on the ABC's Radio National is a particular favourite of Whispers. Each day when we are traveling by car we avidly listen to Adam's show when it is re-broadcast. His mixture of guests with their take on world affairs is always fascinating as is Adam's presentation.

But now word reaches us the Adams and an ABC crew have been banned from visiting India. They have been denied visas after planning the trip for weeks. Why? This is a real mystery. Many consider Adams a bit of an old 'lefty'. Indeed former Prime Minister John Howard on one of his regular attacks upon the ABC and the (ill-conceived) view it was too "left wing" famously pondered "where is the right-wing Philip Adams.?"
Australia's media seems to have ignored this bizarre insult which can only be political but India's Hindustan Times has the scoop.

Whispers has spotted Adams around town in the past but he now appears to have retired to the country after selling his magnificent Paddington home. On one memorable occasion we attended a party in Queen Street Woolahra for the launch of the famed Prince Lorenzo Montesini's (left) autobiography, wittingly launched by Philip.

Vale ABC presenter Alan Saunders

Sad news today with the sudden death of ABC presenter Alan Saunders who has passed away from pneumonia in hospital at the age of 58. Alan was broadcaster on Radio National and presented programs on food, philosophy and design.

Born in London, Saunders studied philosophy at the University of Leicester and travelled to Australia in 1981 to continue research at the Australian National University where he earned his PhD.
 He joined the ABC in 1988 and has been hosting broadcasts there regularly since. Last Tuesday he felt ill while presenting his radio show and was admitted to hospital.

In 1992 he was awarded the Pascall Prize for critical writing and broadcasting and in 2007 was awarded the Australasian Association of Philosophy Special media Prize.  He also the author of a book : A Is For Apple and Alanna.

Alan lived a few doors away from the Shuttle and we often ran into him in the street or at the many foodie shindigs around Sydney. His Radio National program The Philosopher's Zone was required listening and one of the ABC's most downloaded program. Alan's calm, cultured deep voice was very re-assuring in a world gone haywire- as though everything was OK. He'll be deeply missed.