The Rudd Government is carefully planning its next stimulus package, no doubt to be released before Parliament goes back next month.
Speculation is rife on what form it will take. Will it be Tax Cuts, a boost to infrastructure spending or more investment in skills and training? Or, god forbid, will it be a boost to welfare payments, or a further instant cash handouts to those who least need it?
I'm a big supporter of a mix of all of the first three of those suggestions. Tax cuts are widespread and they are equitable. Although they are slow in coming, and not an instant stimulus, there is an argument for their long term effect. They do stimulate an economy - but not in terms of purchases on Plasma TVs or a new poker machine...
More money for Infrastructure, for the most part coordinated by the States will have a long term benefit to the economy, whilst in the short term helping to stimulate it and retain jobs. Victoria and most of the States have projects ready to go - all they need is the cash.
And Investing in skills and training seems wise, to meet the likely increased demand when unemployment starts to creep up.
But an increase in welfare payments or one off payments as we saw in December to Pensioners, Parents and self funded retirees is not just bad economics, its unfair and its not going to work. It also increases Australia's reliance on welfare - and that is unsustainable.
One of the arguments we heard for much of the last year, particularly from pensioners, was that the cost of living was rising and they couldn't survive on their payments. Well guess what? The CPI went backwards in the last quarter.
That's right oldies, prices are actually coming down. And you wont have to wait long for more savings, the old supply and demand rule coming into play.
Keep in mind that despite the hype you might hear in the tabloid press, welfare payments in Australia are very generous. And its not just the payments, its the benefits attached. The health care card that pensioners receive entitles them to a range of discounts that regular working people don't get.
What we don't need right now, is more money given to pensioners and self funded retirees to blow on one off purchases or poker machines. There Ive said it. We all know that just as the world economy spiralled downward in December, one of the things that went up was revenue at gambling venues.
Coincidence that it was the same month that Kevin Rudd gave pensioners a couple of thousand dollars? I think not.
I wont start on single parents just yet - i will save that for another post. However, i will say that they are one group who are doing it better than most in society. Yes whingeing oldies, i despise them more than you.
I do have a hope that Kevin Rudd and Wayne Swan will provide a long term stimulus package - we had the quick fix - that didn't work. What we need is a 2 to 3 year plan, which takes into account the long road we have ahead.
The only answer is tax cuts, boost to infrastructure spending and investing in skills. I hope someone is listening.
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Finally, the shelves are stocked with a junk food product which you can enjoy almost guilt free. Low Fat Chips. A healthy alternative to the high fat chips that we have had for so long.
No, this is not an advertisement, but I'm happy to give credit where credit is due. Woolworth's Select (Safeway in Melbourne) have developed low fat chips. And they are called, simply, Woolworth's Select Light Potato Chips. And they taste great.
So far i have tried the plain potato chips and this evening i have tucked in to some salt and vinegar ones. They have more flavors on offer too, will have to report back - but they looked awfully tasty.
They all have less than 10% fat, although the plain comes in at just over 4%, that's 4 grams of fat per 100 grams, and the salt and vinegar just over 5%.
That's impressive when you consider that regular chips have around 30% fat.
Apparently, instead of being fried, these light chips are toasted then lightly sprayed with Canola Oil.
What you end up with is a really thin chip - thinner than normal thin chips, almost like wafers. But the taste is incredibly similar to regular chips, and these ones almost melt in your mouth.
Now you are really going to think I'm being paid for this!! No, i just always loved chips ( i mean, really loved them), but knew how bad they were with all the saturated fat. So i limited them.
And while these low fat chips aren't exactly great for you, they still have a high sodium content, they are going to be better than regular full fat chips and wont clog up your arteries as quickly.
They are of course more expensive than regular chips at around $4 a bag - but healthier products usually are a little more costly. I actually don't mind paying more. And surprisingly, because these chips are so thin, i think the bag actually lasts longer.
Anyway, give them a try - id be interested if anyone else has an opinion or comment.
Reports are emerging of a man throwing a 5 year old girl from the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne. What the hell is going on in the world?
Apparently the girl is fighting for her life. Let's hope that she makes it through, no child deserves this. Then again, nobody deserves this - save for the guy who has done it. Id happily give him a shove, but i fear id have to stand in line.
A 35 year old man from Hawthorn has just been arrested in the city. Witnesses say he pulled up in an inbound lane, opened the door, grabbed the child and threw her over into the water. Reports say that she fell something like 58 metres. That's probably about 15 stories.
Thankfully, some motorists have witnessed this terrible act and notified the police and paramedics.
I'm amazed. I just don't get what a 5 year old could have done to deserve such an atrocity. Has the world gone completely mad?
***Update: Very sadly, it has emerged that the girl, only 4 years old, not 5 as previously reported, died this afternoon at 1.35. The man, believed to be the father of the child, has been charged with Murder.
I'm frustrated and Ive had enough. Not because of the amount of train cancellations by Connex, but by the amount of whingeing complaining people who fail to understand that extreme weather causes extreme situations.
Today the weather hit close to 43c. And its going to get worse.
What do people expect? High temperatures such as these are very rare in Melbourne. Trains and tracks are not designed to work at optimum level under these conditions.
You have electronics and equipment which just don't operate so well at 43c. Get that?
And when tracks bend and buckle because of the heat, well, trains will struggle to run on them. So trains get cancelled. Its not rocket science people.
When the heat comes, it affects everything. Power supplies run short, cars overheat and people collapse.
Life isn't easy, not everything works perfectly all of the time you know. Get used to it, and enjoy the very low prices you pay for public transport in Melbourne.
And if you don't like it, get in your car, ride your bike or get a new job closer to home. But please, stop your complaining. Ive had enough.
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I just love these scams, father/husband/brother/sister/mother die in plane crash, and leave said person with lots of money. But of course, they cannot access the money without the help of you.
As stupid and as pointless as these email scams seem to most of us, they actually work with a small percentage of people. And because of the spamming nature of the emails, they go to thousands of people, thus ensuring that even a small percentage of success could mean big money for these fraudsters.
This one arrived in my inbox earlier - i always like to share. These always give me a good laugh. Id have a better laugh of course if i could give these guys a knuckle sandwich. There's a phrase you don't hear anymore...
Dearest,I am writing this mail to you with tears and sorrow from my heart. My name is magriet Dominic Dim Deng, 22yrs old, female and I held from Sudan.
My father Lt. Gen Dominic Dim Deng and my mother including other top Military officers and top government officials had been on board when the plane crashed on Friday May 02, 2008.
You can read more about the crash through http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7380412.stm After the burial of my father, my uncle conspired and sold my father's properties to one Chin ease Expatriate and live nothing for me. One faithful morning, I opened my father's briefcase and found out the documents which he have deposited huge amount of money in one bank in Burkina Faso with my name as the next of kin.
I traveled to Burkina Faso to withdraw the money so that I can start a better life and take care of myself. On my arrival, the Branch manager of the Bank whom I met in person told me that my father's instruction to the bank was the money be release to me only when I am married or present a trustee who will help me and invest the money overseas.
I am in search of an honest and reliable person who will help me and stand as my trustee so that I will present him to the Bank for transfer of the money to his bank account overseas. I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust. But rather take me as your own sister.
Though you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without knowing you, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you may be the true person to help me. More so, I will like to disclose much to you if you can help me to relocate to your country because my uncle have threaten to assassinate me. The amount is $10.4 Million and I have confirmed from the bank in Burkina Faso.
You will also help me to place the money in a more profitable business venture in your Country. However, you will help by recommending a nice University in your country so that I can complete my studies. It is my intention to compensate you with 10% of the total money for your services and the balance shall be my capital in your establishment.
As soon as I receive your interest in helping me, I will put things into action immediately. In the light of the above, I shall appreciate an urgent message indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction sincerely.
Please do keep this only to your self. I beg you not to disclose it till i come over because I am affraid of my weaked uncle who has threatened to kill me. Sincerely yours,magriet Dominic Dim Deng.
You can now email me at: magriet_mii02@yahoo.com
Just heard that some tosser called Tapeshwar Vishwakarma is suing two of the members of the movie Slumdog Millionaire for the use of the word "slumdog" and violating the human rights of people in India who live in slums.
Huh? Some awfully strange stories come out of India.
According to AFP he is "...suing the film's music composer A R Rahman and one of its stars, actor Anil Kapoor, for depicting slum-dwellers in a bad light and violating their human rights"
Its a movie you loser. And its just a name. What next, sue the makers of Gandhi because he wasn't actually in the movie himself? It was just an actor called Ben Kingsley. Outrageous!
I think Tapeshwar Vishwakarma or Vishwanker as he is known in local circles, should concentrate on helping the poor people rather than wasting his time on such indulgent self promotion.
If he wants to sue filmmakers, how about going after the directors and script writers of Bollywood movies, for producing the same movie, over and over and over again. That's punishment and mental torture to all of us. I know Ive been affected. Id happily be a party to that law suit.
Then why not add a separate suit to question why every Bollywood film bears no resemblance at all to the repressive and backward culture of India. No, couldn't do that could you? Better to live in the dream world that is bollywood. "Shall we make a serious movie this time?" "Nah, lets go with a love story"
Tapeshwar Vishwakarma, you are an Idiot. But in the great tradition of protesting about a movie, you have just created more free publicity for it. Well done fella.
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Political Campaigns are wonderful things. The promises, the talk, the hype. Then comes the reality. Not three months after assuming the role of Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle is planning to take a junket trip to Russia that will cost over $20,000. Which is of course in stark contrast to his pledge not to engage in such money wasting behaviour.
Personally, i don't have a problem with overseas trips by politicians - as long as they value add. In other words, if the benefit to Australia is worth a whole lot more than the cost of the trip.
In this case, apparently Robert Doyle plans to head to St Petersburg in Russia to attend the "...20th anniversary celebration of the Melbourne-St Petersburg sister city relationship."
A sister city relationship? That's worth 20 thousand dollars is it? I think sister city relationships are a load of crap - a scheme organised by councils around the world to facilitate overseas holidays at ratepayer and taxpayer expense.
How about sticking to your promises Robert Doyle? Scrap the $20,000+ trip and stay in Melbourne. It really is a pretty pathetic start.
But what did we really expect, he is part of a council after all.
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Ahh, smoking. Actually one of the few joys i had left in life. But alas, i knew that like all good things it would have to come to an end. And thus i have embarked on the task of quitting. Perhaps not forever, but certainly for a few years.
Ive always considered that if i made it to 70 or 80, id take it up again. Because seriously, what more would i have left to live for then? And id need some little fun in my life. But that's a while off, and then I'll be very old and very very grumpy.
That brings me to Nicotine Patches. Amazing things. There are numerous question marks about how effective nicotine patches really are. However, i think that if you are serious about wanting to quit smoking, anything will help. And these patches probably cant hurt.
But what about Nicotine Patches and Dreaming? Well that's the fun part. For some reason, and i cant find any decent explanation as to why, Nicotine Patches should give you the most vivid and lucid dreams you have ever had.
Ive talked to other ex smokers who swear by this. And i know it works for me. Some say they have nightmares, but most just say that their dreams are so real, its almost as if you are awake while you are asleep. If you understand that.
Many people usually struggle to remember most of their dreams, or just recall small fragments or a general theme. Nicotine Patches change all that. In my case, and Ive noted many others, the recollection is incredible. Whole dreams remembered and able to be analysed. Fantastic.
Ive actually read about some people who just use the patches for the dreams - having never smoked at all. I can understand that. It would be an expensive habit, but what price can you really put on a good decent dream that you remember?
Its like opening a whole new chapter to your life. 8 Hours which was formerly wasted, is now all yours to be enjoyed. So when they say that giving up smoking adds years to your life, hell, they weren't joking. An extra few hours a day of vivid dream sleep is like finding a wardrobe into Narnia. Minus all the evil.
If there is any fun to be had in giving up smoking (other than the countless sweets) its the dreams you get from the Nicotine Patches. I love them, and its the one time i actually look forward to going to bed. Time for another snooze now i think.
World Vision have announced that they are making $20 million in spending cuts, which according to motormouth Tim Costello, will result in the suffering of poor people throughout the world.
According to Costello, the reason for the cuts are the effect of the global crisis, and the weakening Australian dollar. But while World Visions 20 million dollar cutback means that there will be less money on the ground, there is no word about Costello taking a pay cut from his whopping $300,000+ annual salary.
Why should the poor suffer when Costello could afford to take a pay cut of 50% and still be adequately paid?
Tim Costello should listen to the Australian Prime Minister and practice some wage restraint.
How many wells could your $300,000+ salary pay for Rev Costello? And how many poor starving mouths would it feed? Think about that.
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It really is time to bone the nine network. For the last few hours we have been watching extended coverage of the lead up to the Presidential Inauguration Ceremony of Barack Obama. Coverage that was drawn directly from the US ABC Network.
And that coverage was good - informed and detailed. As it would be, its their country, they know the names and faces, they have the reporters on the ground to tell the story.
Then, right in the middle of this coverage, we cut to..The Today Show. The Australian Today Show, starring Karl Stefanovic and Rob Penfold. Now i like Robert Penfold, he's a decent reporter. But what does Karl bring to the table? What is his expertise on US affairs? None. And im not going to say anything about Roving Reporter for the event, Peter "My brother is Karl" Stefanovic.
How on earth can Australian reporters do a better job of this coverage than Americans? They cant. Thats why i switched networks. Bugger to you nine, you've been boned by me.
I can see why this will be the Nine Network's worst year on record. This is just another one of their stupid programming errors.
On another point, how about their great new show "Flashpoint" that they advertised to saturation point over the last month? An ad for this show appeared nearly every time i switched on the TV.
I watched Flashpoint a couple of nights back. Terrible. Really really bad. Its like a B Grade police show from the 1980's. No offence to the actors. And if thats the best that nine can do, its the Seven Network's year in 2009.
Seems the UK is up in arms about BBC Reporter Tasmin Lucia Khan who does a 60 second news in brief report for TV BBC Three. Have a look at the following video, where Tasmin Khan appears breathless during one of her most recent reports. Is this a Scandal?
Seems that some people think that Tasmin Khan was doing something other than concentrating on the news. Others suggest that it may have been an Asthma attack. And i think BBC are claiming that it was a programming error.
You can judge for yourself below. Unfortunately, Tasmin is not seen during these reports, so we only have her voice to go by. Pity really, she is quite gorgeous. And that voice....wow.
An amazing funny story for the day. Yesterday i witnessed something that i thought i would never see. In fact, having said that, i had never actually thought about it, so crazy is the concept. It is a story about an Indian Roof Rack.
I'm incredibly disappointed that i did not have my camera with me - a set of photos would tell this story so much better than i could.
But, bear with me while i put together a storybook tale.
There were four Indian Men, kinda like these guys...
Who arrived at a closed Opportunity "Op" Shop, or Charity Store on a Sunday, kinda like this one...
And found that outside the closed store, a good Samaritan had left a Double Bed Mattress Base, kinda the bottom section from this one...
The Indian Men, seeing an opportunity too good to pass up, stopped outside the charity store, and proceeded to load the mattress base onto the top of their blue Toyota Camry, kinda like this one...
And then not having any rope to tie the mattress base to the top of the roof, the Indian men wound down their windows, and each of the four placed one hand on the roof, kinda like these hands...
And then drove off down the road, with hands out the window holding the mattress in place.
I am still imagining these Indian men, driving around to other closed charity stores to find a mattress to go with their base.
Just when you think you have seen it all, four Indian guys turn up at a charity store.
Lets not forget Jeff Skiles, Co Pilot of the US Airways Airbus which went down in the Hudson River in New York yesterday. He can also lay claim to the status of hero.
As reported yesterday, Captain Chesley Sullenberger has rightly been granted hero status, and we know that he will be remembered as the masterful pilot in charge of this amazing landing. Rightly so too, and many awards will be bestowed upon him.
But like all Good Captains and Pilots of Commercial airliners, they are ably assisted by the co-captain or co-pilot.
I think the records will ultimately show that co-pilot Jeffrey Skiles did just that.
Jeffrey Skiles 49, is a native of Wisconsin and has been flying since he was 15. He has flown for US Airways for 26 years. Thats some experience. Between him and Sully, you would find it hard to have more a more experienced crew on the flight deck.
This was no doubt a team effort. Let us record our appreciation for Jeff Skiles too.
He is also a New York Hero. Hats off to him.
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The second amazing story of the day, is the confirmation that an Australian, Trooper Mark Donaldson, has won the Victoria Cross medal for valour. This is the first Victoria Cross , the highest Commonwealth Military Honour, to be awarded to an Australian since the Vietnam War.
That's not to say that Australians haven't fought bravely in other conflicts since then. Rather, the Victoria Cross is awarded incredibly rarely - only given for acts of valour in the face of the enemy.
Putting this honour into further context, since being established in 1856, the Victoria Cross has only been awarded 1357 times. And only 13 medals have been handed out - that's right 13 - since the end of World War 2.
Trooper Mark Donaldson has received this award for his act of bravery in Afghanistan, in risking his own life to save that of a coalition forces interpreter in September.
According to reports, Trooper Donaldson was travelling in a convoy of Australian, American and Afghan forces when they came under heavy enemy machine gun and rocket propelled grenade fire in Oruzgan Province in Afghanistan.
The interpreter, having been wounded, was lying motionless in open territory away from the convoy's cover.
Trooper Mark Donaldson ran 80 metres into the open territory in plain view of the enemy, picked up the injured interpreter and carried him back to safety. He then administered first aid to the wounded man.
Thanks to the efforts of Trooper Donaldson, the coalition forces interpreter survived. Trooper Donaldson is also credited with again risking his own life to help draw enemy fire away from other wounded soldiers in the convoy.
I don't consider many people to be true heroes. Mark Donaldson is a true hero. Risking his life to save another is a true act of valour and courage. That's not just an Australian Soldier's spirit, that's a true human spirit. We salute you Trooper.
First Amazing Story of the Day, "Sully" Chesley Sullenberger US Airways New York Hero.
In a world that sometimes just seems to get crazier, today has produced two stories that should lift everyone's spirits.
Firstly to New York. Ive always been of the opinion that lifejackets on airplanes were mostly obsolete, as is much of the safety message. I mean seriously, when planes go down, well they usually crash and explode yeah? When was the last time that you heard of a plane successfully landing on water?
Well my hat comes off to the Pilot of US Airways Flight from New York to North Carolina, Chesley Sullenberger. This guy is a real hero. After the plane was probably struck by geese, and its engines blown out, the pilot was forced to ditch the plane on the Hudson River just a few minutes after take off.
The ditching was so perfect that the plane remained intact after crash landing. Wow. Not only did Captain Sullenberger alert and warn the passengers to brace for impact, he was apparently the last off the plane, having searched it thoroughly to ensure nobody was left on board.
Amazingly - and very rare for a plane crash - everybody survived. The Captain and Crew of this plane should be given the Keys to the City of New York as well as countless other awards. Way to go.
Have a look at these photos, totally amazing.
Second Amazing Story of the Day, Trooper Mark Donaldson Australian Hero Victoria Cross Recipient.
In an attempt to replicate the success of the very clever marketing strategy of Queensland Tourism in offering $150,000 for a 6 month stint on Hamilton Island, I have come up with my own version.
Yes, it is true. Here is a genuine offer for the 2nd Best Job in the World. I cant offer the views and sand of Hamilton Island, but the lifestyle will be second to none.
Not only will you get paid a similar amount of money, $150, but you will have a unique opportunity to live and work in Stunning Marvelous Melbourne, Australia. Accommodation is provided, as is the use of a car.
The job description is quite simple. You must be able to prepare meals for me. Not every meal, but at least a couple a day.
Id also like my place to be cleaned, maybe twice a week.
You have the use of a car, usually to drive me to where i want to go. Ive always wanted that.
Other than that, all you need to do is be around. Not always in my face, but there for me when i ring a bell or yell out.
You will have Saturday nights and Sunday mornings as free time, but if you choose to spend them with me, that's perfectly understandable.
There is no need to blog about your experience, in fact, it would be preferable if you didn't. I'm a private sort of guy.
Oh, and being an attractive girl and having a French Accent would certainly be an advantage but not essential. Other assets will be taken into consideration.
Please send applications (and photo) to youngandgrumpy@gmail.com
Position commences as soon as you can Fly to Australia.
I think the internet is a wonderful thing. Max Kaiser should think so too. Because forever more, Max Kaiser's name will be associated with the illegal squatting of a Melbourne University owned property. Yes, Max Kaiser broke the law.
Max Kaiser was stupid enough to appear on 3AW to discuss his illegal behaviour. And what a tool he proved himself to be. This is one of the funniest interviews i have heard in a long while. Talking in circles and making no sense - yep, that's Max Kaiser.
For the record, Max Kaiser is a Melbourne Student Union welfare officer and a member of SHAC, the Student Housing Action Co-operative.
I will give Max Kaiser credit for his claim that he works two jobs. I give him no credit that he obviously chooses to waste whatever income he has from those jobs on a questionable university lifestyle. But keep in mind that one of the jobs is probably the thousands of dollars he gets every year for being a Welfare Officer - other students money!
In his interview with 3AW, Max concedes that he could actually live with his parents, as could many of the other students. And no doubt his jobs would enable him to pay rent, like most other genuine students do.
But Max Kaiser also concedes that this is not about his or many of the other squatters lack of housing options, rather it is a political protest.
Even when confronted with the fact that the Supreme Court ordered the students to leave, Max would continue to stay and break the law. Yes, Max, you broke the law.
So, keep in mind the kind of behaviour that Max Kaiser is capable of. He has committed a crime. He has defied the Supreme Court of Victoria and he has been tossed out on his arse by Victoria Police.
Are you back at Mummy and Daddy's place now Max? Loser.
Well Done to Victoria Police for removing the illegal occupants of Melbourne University owned property in Carlton.
These tosser students have occupied the property in Faraday Street for about 5 months, but were last week ordered to leave by the Supreme Court of Victoria.
In their anarchist, trotty behaviour, some refused to comply with the court order and remained in the property. Until this morning, when about 15 police arrived to turf them out.
Thank god! These losers have been freeloading for too long.
I'm finding it hard to believe though that 2 of the illegal occupants were international students, one from Colombia, the other from Canada.
I think this is something that the Immigration Department should be made aware of. When an international student applies for a visa, they must show to the Department that they have sufficient funds to study here. That is, to provide for food, accommodation, transport and study expenses etc.
To come to Australia, only to freeload and engage in illegal behaviour is disgusting. You can bugger off back to where you came from you freeloading trots.
Keep in mind that to be an international student at Melbourne Uni costs around $20,000 per year. So these idiots have enough money to study at one of the top institutions in the southern hemisphere, but they cant afford to rent a property?
Other students now claim that they will stay outside the property in order to conduct a rally. Ahh, the solution of every nutty lefty - the decisions don't go your way, so conduct a rally.
But these guys wont stop there. They haven't ruled out occupying more Melbourne Uni properties in the future. Needless to say, these are the same types of people who go on rampages of university buildings, smash property, terrorise staff and stage sit ins.
I think Melbourne University should now show some real guts and kick the students out of their courses. Its time to go home you freaks.
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You may wonder why i am putting this Mondo Rock song on here. I just think it is a classic. It reminds me of when things were much simpler in the 1980's.
Yeah, 1980's music just rocks doesnt it? And im also half in love with the girl in this clip. Very cute. Have a listen to the lyrics though - you think you would be able to get away with lyrics like that today? Not likely!
What a victory for common sense. Student squatters will be evicted from Melbourne University's Faraday Street, Carlton House. Fantastic!
These Melbourne University Trot students have been illegal residents at the property for a number of months. They claim that they have nowhere else to live. What an absolute crock.
Just a reminder, this is a Melbourne University owned property. The students have been residing there despite a number of eviction orders. They have taken this fight all the way to the Supreme Court. The fight ended yesterday, with the Court ordering that the students leave at once.
Seriously, of all the issues out there, these absolute knob tossers have chosen to take a political stand on housing for Melbourne University Students, even going so far as to take up the time of the Homeless Persons Legal Clinic.
Hang on, what about the real homeless in our society? Not the ones that probably come from either privileged families, or who were intelligent enough to get into Victoria's premier University, Melbourne. I mean real ones, people with mental health issues or those who have been abused.
Here's an idea losers, how about getting a job to support yourselves? Or something even more outrageous, why not live at home with your parents like most other students do? I did both of those things. Its not that hard. If you cant keep up with the tough study regime of 12 or 15 hours a week (9 for Arts Students), then go part time, and work for a living.
No, that wouldn't fit in with your trotty, live near campus, get drunk and crash on the couch type lifestyle would it?
Apparently these future conservative barristers, accountants and bankers claim that they don't have any money for food, and have had to resort to searching through bins.
Hold on one moment - this photo (Angela Wylie) from The Age of students during the illegal residence indicates something doesn't it? Look closely:
That's a laptop or notebook. But that's not just any notebook - that's a mac book. Right, so resorting to searching through bins for food, but you can afford a mac book worth what, maybe $2000? Poor poor students.
I cant afford a Macbook you tossers. Thats probably because i pay bills, and a mortgage. Yeah, i pay for the roof over my head, not steal someone elses.
But they cant afford anything else can they? Lets have another look:
And there we have it - they have two fridges and a microwave oven - plus a full cupboard of food. Wow. But have a look on top of the shelves. Is that a bottle of wine? Yes it is. But further, there is a bottle of expensive liqueur, Kahlua. Aww, its so tough being a poor student.
I understand that some students are intending to stay at the property and wont be moved. Id love to see some action as Victoria Police drag their sorry arses out of the place. Will their parents let them back into their Kew/Hawthorn/Toorak homes?
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You have to wonder what is happening to society when some drunk idiot kicks a man while he is down. Ron Barassi, AFL legend and now community hero was going to the aid of a woman who was being attacked, only to be set upon and bashed by the halfwit fool.
Barassi went after the man to confront him. In the process, Barassi was apparently knocked over and was kicked in the head and the ribs while on the ground. While Barassi is ok, he does have bruised ribs and bumps on his head.
I think something is going drastically wrong in our community. This incident happened on New Years Eve in St Kilda. Just around the corner on the same night in Albert Park, a man was glassed in a seemingly unprovoked attack on a dance floor. He had life threatening injuries and had to undergo surgery. Great start to the New Year.
On New Years Eve, arrests were more than double that of last year - nearly 1150 in Victoria alone. And there were 4 glassings. Disturbing isnt it?
I'm not sure what the answer is to the apparent increase in violence, particularly glassing. When i was growing up, which wasn't that long ago, glassing was only something that seemed to occur in the movies. While I'm sure it existed, it seems glassing someone at a bar or club is almost a weekly event in Melbourne.
Maybe mandatory plastic glasses are part of the solution. It certainly couldn't hurt. But that still doesn't address or identify the reasons for the increase in violent, almost spontaneous crimes. I don't understand it.
Maybe people are angrier, more on edge. Maybe its the fluoride in the water, because it cant just be alcohol - thats always been there. I might do some research and come back with a theory. I have plenty of crazy ones floating in my head.
I will say this. Fair play to Barassi - great player, great coach and great community citizen. Unfortunately, too many people choose to look the other way when these events occur. I give massive credit to Ron Barassi for being so tough and having the community values that I'm sure existed once in Australia.
Too bad there aren't more like him.
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Here we go again. Breast feeding groups protesting about their latest pretend issue that matters not a jot to the real world. The ridiculously named "Mothers International Lactation Campaign" now have over 80,000 supporters, protesting about a Facebook policy to remove fully exposed breast photos.
Facebook have said in effect that they will not ban breast feeding photos but "...photos containing a fully exposed breast (as defined by showing the nipple or areola) do violate those Terms and may be removed" but that they "...take no action on the vast majority of breastfeeding photos because they follow the site's Terms of Use."
So where is the problem with that?
Basically, these loons want to expose their breasts to the world. I guess they want to show all their friends how proud they are to breastfeed. Great, well done ladies. In the process, they are showing their breasts in photos they have posted.
I don't have a problem with breast feeding - perfectly normal.
But here's the thing ladies. Listen up. Facebook own the site. They can do with it what they like. You accepted the terms and conditions when you signed up.
If you want to run off and show your goddamn nipples to the world, as if that if what we really wanted to see, then set up a website for lactating mothers.
Then again, why not bugger off from facebook, and set up your own little lactating social networking site. Ooh, wont that be a success? Probably will. Because the more radical amongst breast feeding groups really only discuss one thing.
Call it, mothersinternationallactationcampaign.com. Might be a little hard to type with just the one free hand, maybe abbreviate it to milc.com. Oh cute, i get it. Ooh, dont you feel so clever now.?
But of course the "What are you doing right now?" line wont be able to be changed. It will have only one option, "Breastfeeding and Complaining."
Meanwhile, another crisis is erupting somewhere in Africa.
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What an outrage. Disgraceful. Ridiculous. The Australian Taxation Office has shut down its entire IT systems and services, which includes their website between December 24 and January 5. That's 11 full days.
For the record, the ATO's website is one of the most accessed government sites in Australia. It is an essential tool for millions of taxpayers.
Are we saying that in the modern age, a website such as the ATO's needs 11 days to be maintained or upgraded? Who is doing their "essential maintenance", the IT students from the University of the Third Age?
The ATO website is important during this period for a number of reasons.
This is holiday season - its when lots of people get a chance to catch up on paperwork, and get their affairs in order. Getting advice from the ATO site is essential.
On public holidays and weekends, ATO staff are not available to take calls are they? So where do you go on a Saturday when you need some help?
And when the phone lines are open - good luck in getting through. The ATO call centre is incredibly busy even when the website works. There have been times when i and friends have made a call to the ATO, only to get an engaged signal. This is often for hours on end, when you dont even make it to the automated message, or get placed in a queue.
The ATO is a government agency. I understand that for the most part they work to rule. But surely, it doesn't take 11 days to upgrade a website and their IT services. No doubt these IT staff are working the regular 9am-5pm gig, with public holidays and weekends spent at home with the family. The developing world could do better than this.
Im surprised that i haven't heard anything else about this issue. Can you imagine the uproar if Centrelink were to shut down their site for 11 days? There would be outrage and anger - and rightly so.
This is the explanation from the Australian Tax Office site:
All Tax Office systems and services, including our website, will be unavailable from 4pm AEDST on Wednesday 24 December 2008 until Monday 5 January 2009 while we complete essential maintenance at our data centres.
Other websites hosted at our data centres will also be unavailable during this period including:
www.ties.gov.au
www.educationtaxrefund.gov.au, and
www.tabd.gov.au
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
We will not charge taxpayers interest or penalties because of delays caused by the shutdown.
Note that they wont be charging interest or penalties. Someone should be questioning what the true cost of this shutdown will be.
I will be watching the ATO site to see if they stick to their promise to be back by the 5th.
Nevertheless, we will still be riding them for their poor service overall, and their continued waste of public money like their launching of frivolous court action against people like John Hewson for an unsubmitted tax return from 2006. (And they owed him money!) Thankfully that was thrown out of court.
There are plenty more examples of mismanagement and waste at the ATO. If you have any tips or information about such waste, feel free to email us.
Oh, and Happy New Year too.
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