Day 78 of MUC and day 31 of MOC, and everything's rolled gold at the reef, and teachers do it for a rolled gold reward, thanks to the Caterists ...

And so the campaign to end nattering negativity and three word slogans rolls on, thanks be unto Malware and the reptiles ... how good it is to live in a time of continuity and no change ...

Meanwhile, the pond was startled again this morning to be reminded of the quite unique capacity of the ABC's presenters to irritate the pond with their routine, daily abuse of the meaning of words.

This morning it was Michael Rowland, hailing the arrival in the studio of a "rolled gold" Broadway star.

Such an idle defamation of the actor involved, calling her a thin layer of gold applied over a metal such as brass, and used in inexpensive jewellery. But why not just say we're very excited to have a thin layer of base metal-covered, cheap, tawdry, gold-coated jewellery turning up in the studio this morning?

Brassy ...

Quite unique? Perhaps that should have been enormously unique ...

Meanwhile, a day's work is never done for diligent reptiles, and this day the reptiles continue the business of mopping up reef business -  no doubt they'll reserve next week for further explanations as to why we shouldn't mention climate change in relation to current record-breaking events.

Good old Lloydie, what a trouper, always a glass half full in Lloydie's world, and ditto for the Oz editorialist ...

Naturally the pond was expecting a rip-snorting, full-blooded explanation of why everything was for the best in the best of all possible worlds. Instead this is what turned up ...

That's it? That's the best they've got? Tim Flannery and it's tricky enough, so enough already?

It'd be risible if it wasn't pathetic, and speaking of the pathetic, that reminds the pond that it's Caterist day, and what better way to ensure the hits drop off and people go off to do something useful with their lives than to regurgitate the Caterist in full cry ...

It turns out this day, perhaps mindful of the need for taxpayer cash to be conserved so that it might be usefully granted to his institute, that the Caterist expends much energy explaining why cash is useless when it comes to schooling ...

Yes, throwing taxpayer grants at the Caterists - cash is fine, cash can be handled - is the answer to whatever question that ails you, and it will be an enormous relief to private schools for them to learn that cash is not the answer to their problems ...

The pond was enormously moved, almost to tears, at the sight of the conga line of private school principals with cheques in hand, ready to give their money back to the federal government, modestly explaining that money was meaningless, and truly the students might learn best, while gathered in large groups under the willow tree down at the bottom of the playground ...

Oh indeed, indeed and just as taxpayer grants can't turn a Caterist into anything but rolled gold, it seems that cash is entirely useless, and truth to tell, education is pretty useless with a lot of the dummies that litter the landscape ...

Let's mock the weary and the dispossessed, and the losers and the dropkicks, though it might help if you have your taxpayer grant safely in your paw before you do so ...

Indeed, indeed, let us raise the issue of money if only so we can explain that money is sordid and certainly not the solution (you did make sure you banked that taxpayer grant before we started down this path, didn't you?).

To the extent that the quality of teachers might make a difference, it is important to remember that these teachers will do it for the love of the children and for the changing of society for the better, and will happily work for years for a pittance, for the smell of an oily rag, for the sheer elevated glory and the sacrificial chance to be a Mr Chips just waiting for that tear-moistening final farewell ... and before that, all they need is a nice cup of tea and a sponge cake ...

Splendid stuff, and so to the last gobbet of Caterist gobbledegook ...

And the Caterists have ensured that taxpayer money is granted in the right direction, to the Menzies Research Centre, so that the world might be plastered with banners praising Malcolm Turnbull's selfless father ...

Or some such thing. To tell the truth, the pond never actually pays much attention to what the Caterists say anymore ... it's just a form of rolled gold blather that makes up the cornucopia of caterwauling emanating from the well-heeled Surry Hills bunker ...

Instead anybody who's made it this far needs a refreshing cartoon...and more Pope here and more Rowe here ...