STFU

Here.

and here.

and STFU.

Inadvertant electrical humour.

"A woman in her 30s was hit by lightning while watching an under-16 football game.

She was taken by ambulance to the hospital with burns to her hand, and has since been discharged."

LOL - well, you'd hope so.

Lament.

I know I should (by pressure decreed by patriotic duty) lament the death of Assaf Namer, but should I weep for his passing more than those others in this conflict, innocent or nay?

Consulting the Human Value Index, I find the answer: Yes, very much so. He has a high rating (around a 0.48 at a rough guess.)

The HVI is quite an important guide - because it does highlight the misconception that Israeli actions are disproportionate. Due to the relative poverty of the surrounding nations, coupled with the brownie-ness, and the convenience that Jews are (according to the continually revised HVI - when I get around to revising it one day) considered 'white' - means that a 10:1 ratio can be held as a safely proportionate death toll ratio.

Some do not like these dual-citizens - or Semi-Australians. Andrew Bolt for example. But there is no national dishonor in being a 'Semi'. There are those, who only respect pure 100% citizens - these people shall be hence forth known as anti-Semi's.

Today's headlines...

Israeli bombs kill UN observers
Embassy claims: "They had a very suspicious 'looking'-type behaviour. Just like Hezbollah 'looks', y'know? Like terrorist observers, that sort of thing."

Virgin won't hurry US expansion plan
Virgin? The US? Man, there has to be something funny to write about that....

Is there a zombie in the Vatican?
Mindless soulless weak-willed half-humans wandering around being a nuisance? Sounds like Catholics to me.

Petrol prices just shy of $1.50 mark
Cost is totally justified. (That's the joke people.)

IR laws may 'lead to workplace violence'
(I remember I was going to write a post ages ago about how they'll need to legalise boss-bashing, in order to relieve the court and jail system from being overcrowded, after WorkChoices...)

We're close to snaring F1 points: Webber
"...just as long as everyone crashes or has their car fail before I do."

Unions dishonest on IR ads: Howard
(I think the headline itself is enough of a joke.)

Solomon politicians get big pay increase
How incredibly unusual.

Priceless statue returned to Iraq
"Wasn't worth anything"

Inflation rise temporary, says Costello
But - if Labor was in, they'd be far less temporaryish.

Aussies worry over petrol, housing costs
Concerned over how to afford to drive to work, and how to provide shelter from the elements. Economy is booming apparently.

New bikini to help prevent sunburn
States on tag: "For indoor use only."

Ruddock fights for tough censorship laws
Wants to publicly incinerate certain publications deemed a threat. (What, like that's unusual?)

Don't believe workplace ads: Costello
"Believe me, I told the truth recently - I know it was the truth because I said it was the truth. OK the Prime Minister disagreed that it was the truth, but these ads - they aren't the truth."

Botox could curb incontinence
...claim stuck-up arsehole's with blank expressions.

Aussies rely on others for Lebanon exit
Bolt claims: "How quickly they abandon us when they need help. How quickly they call on others in a rude attempt at pointing out how little we care. How quickly they take advantage of our Australian negligence, and other nations ability to feel sorry for them. Does being Australia really mean anything to them? I'm Dutch, by the way."

Day of shitty hard-to-make-fun-of headlines: me.
Damn headlines.

Uranium U-turn U-slippery-bugger.

Beazley announces policy U-turn on uranium mines.

Opposition leader Kim Beazley announced today that “there'll be food on the table tonight” for uranium miners, and, addressing some in the audience claimed that “there'll be pay in your pocket tonight.”

Mr Beazley stressed that “the time has come, to say fairs fair” in regards to the no-new mines policy, that “it happens to be an emergency. [New mines are required] to pay the rent, to pay our share.”

“And if we think about it, and if we talk about it - uranium companies, collected companies [have] got more right than people” claimed the opposition leader in a stunningly shameful, yet not uncommon, display of Howardian-policy-plagiarism.

“Nothings as precious as a hole in the ground.”

HOW THE FUCK...

...DID THIS...

...HAPPEN?

Where'd this come from?

Peter Garrett - you still have that outfit with sorry written on it? Yeah, you might wanna dust that off.

"It makes no sense to have a restriction on the number of uranium mines if you can have one single mine that is about to grow to be the largest ever," [acting South Australian Premier Kevin] Foley said.

Oh, mines grow now? I thought they petered out - once they were fully exploited.

Don't even try to spin this Beazley - with "more mines, doesn't necessarily (although not ruling it out) mean more uranium exported (again, not ruling that out - just sidestepping it the standard dodgy way - if it happens - don't hold me accountable or anything - we're not here to exploit, and base the entire economy, on resources alone here - but don't rule that out either), we need more safeguards, the number of mines isn't important, don't worry about it, these aren't the droids you're looking for" bullshit.

Try Kimmy - just please try - to oppose something. What a disgrace.

And don't give us any bullshit "there will be spirited debate" either - there is only one dominant faction - it's yours. It's not the Labor-right, it's the Labor-Liberal, and they are the tyrannical majority. More mines are not inevitable - and if they were, you can bet your sweet arse they'd be worth a pretty penny more than what we're getting now.

Docked Entitlements

Employee. Entitlements. Are. Not. Operating. Capitol.

Everyone sets money aside for bills. From the dole bludger to the merchant banker. It's common sense. The cost, when reasonable (electricity in a certain state *cough*SA*cough*) is easily measurable, and being unable to pay is an excuse that should only be considered when in extreme hardship (loss of job, injury, whatever).

Business has no excuse for not putting aside employee entitlements in a fund they only dip into when paying employees. When an employee is paid, a certain amount goes to their bank account, and a certain amount goes in the entitlement fund, it's not rocket science, it's a automatic function of accounting software - and the full cost of a full time employee is known very well to every business. Using employee entitlements as operating capital is the same as docking their pay - if the business goes under, it's morally up there with theft.

The 'smirking boss' business Finlay Engineering boss claims: "By the time I pay out all the workers' entitlements, I've got no money." That should actually read "I have no money that is not owed to workers, I should go into debt, ride it out, or close the business." Jim Sutton, the boss, should still be commended for paying out the workers - it doesn't always happen.

A company that loses a worker's entitlements is no different than a worker who steals from their workplace. (And unions or the tribunal ain't gonna give two shits about you if you do that.)

Huon Corporation, in voluntary administration, has around $30 million in entitlements it can't guarantee workers - they're a bit upset about it.

Now, Howard introduced the General Employee Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme (GEERS). Kevin Andrews claimed:

• It "protects workers".
• "Employers are responsible for employee entitlements, but where they have failed to live up to their responsibilities the Australian Government has stepped in to assist employees"
• "Government strengthens commitment to protect employee entitlements"
• "By enhancing the range of entitlements available under GEERS, the Government is improving access for Australian workers and their families to a fair and appropriate level of support in the event of business failure."
• GEERS means, if a company becomes insolvent, the Australian Government pays eligible workers their entitlements - such as long service leave, holiday leave and redundancy pay - to the community standard.

Sounds great. (It doesn't apply to this Huon case, they went into voluntary administration, there a clause somewhere in the WorkChoices fine print - funny that.)

But this GEERS thing is interesting. It, along with other entitlement protection schemes, has paid out around $700 million in worker entitlements thus far. Labor had a plan to tax business in a similar insurance scheme, but now taxpayers pay. It was mocked for "slugging" business with yet another tax.

But, it should have been called an incompetence tax. The businesses all pay for their fellow incompetence - it creates incentive. But with Howards schemes - around 50% of taxes are from salary and wage earners, therefore we pay 50% of the costs - roughly $35 each - for each time companies have lost our entitlements.

So when a company, as in this case, transfers $10 million of assets into a separate property trust controlled by one of its directors and his daughters, the workers A) can't claim against that to get their entitlements, and B) are funding a scheme to save people like themselves, that isn't saving them.

It really is amazing how much shit we can tolerate.

Interesting tax facts: (2003-4)
Individuals: Total income: $415 billion, taxable income: $395 billion, net tax: $95 billion.
Company: Total income: $1,527 billion, taxable income: $145 billion, net tax: $35 billion.

"Average income, private school", complete tool.

Average-to-low income earners provide the best opportunity for their child by:

A) Creating a savings account, and putting in $5,000 a year for each year they are in high school, and allowing them to put a deposit on a house/car as soon as they have a stable job - relieving them from the trauma of trying to save while renting or, shock/horror, living at home.
B) Spending $30,000 over the childs education period on a multitude of extra-curricula tutoring, training, short or specialty courses.
C) Saving $30,000 to build an investment portfolio you hand to them when they're 18 (and make decisions collectively until that point.)
D) Any mix of the above - $10k for house/car, $10k for extra-curricula, $10k for investment.
E) Send them to a private secondary school because of some perceived notion of any benefit.

There is a natural obsession with giving your child the best start in life. This is especially true with low income earners in unpleasant jobs, some immigrants and I'd imagine practically all refugees - they want their child to have an easier life than theirs. I can understand the incentive for sending your child to private school - but the alternatives (above, A-D) are so obviously more beneficial.

And: Know your place, you pov-o's! Stay down there in pov-land, your child is going to be ostracised from the rich kids, will resent you and anything related to wealth, they deal in the expensive drugs at private schools (cocaine vs weed), secondary education means sweet fuck all in the real world anymore in these days of Pokémon uni-degrees "gotta-catch-pass-em-all", jobs-for-the-boys does not extend to you, a given mark has a greater meaning coming from a public school, and there is no benefit in schools that spend most of their resources in looking shiny.

Quit Pokieing Me

The Victorian state Liberals are once again to be applauded for their continued, superficial or not, social conscience.

Although the reasons are probably to highlight a reliance on gambling revenue in the Labor party, the pledge to reduce the number of poker machines by 5000 is welcome.

Currently there are 27,500.
Under Labor, 27,500. (Unless they choose to alter their current policy.)
Under Liberals, 22,500.
Under Greens, 10,000. (That's from policy booklet, it's 7,500 according to The Age.)

It's not a perfect solution - there's no massive maximum credit balance, winning caps, removal of banknote acceptors, etc, (unlike The Greens), but it is a bit of a step in the right direction, and credit where it's due.

However, Baillieu also vowed to make taxpayer-funded "political advertising a thing of the past" which, in light of the Federal Lib's efforts, I would hold in no esteem whatsoever.

Greens giving your kids drugs, again.

The Vic Greens have released some more of their policies, including their always-entertaining Drugs policies. And, of course, The Herald Sun was right onto them.

Just the sort of thing I feel like chewing into, so let's go. The headline starts with: Greens new policy would mean... Addicts get free drugs

It's quite sensationalised, but a more accurate headline would be: Addicts already get free drugs - Greens (not particularly new) policy would mean a research institute would be established that would evaluate treatment programs for addicts, including, amongst other studies, medically prescribed opiates that differ slightly from the existing opiates they already get for free. (A slight difference.)

And, strictly speaking, the policy states any trial done by the institute would follow the Swiss model – where each dose was US $13. So the headline is quite wrong all up. (Later articles did remove the "free" part - and replaced it with "taxpayer-funded" - which is at least partially true.) The article itself isn't too bad – no real obvious bias, and does cover all the relevant facts of a small part of the drugs policy.

Bracks rejects the policy, and claims it “is not a policy which is a deterrent in use of drugs by young people.” Which is a mostly rhetoric: Switzerland's trials were a success, the Netherlands trials also, Germany's however, well... actually no, they were a surprisingly successful result too.

The policy also states: “Increasing, as a sentencing alternative, the availability of diversion to
rehabilitation and treatment programs for people convicted of crimes committed
to support a personal addiction to drugs.”

The real problem with these policies – is that saving druggies lives doesn't get you any votes. The policies are unpopular, and scary headlines like this don't help.

I think this is one of the most brilliant, and almost snide, statement in any policy statement.
“Policy 2.7: All measures to deal with illicit drugs should be evidence-based and subject to
continuous evaluation.” These policies do seem to be logically based on the results of existing trails - with the emphasis on harm minimization.

Back to the article, the “Police Association was concerned about ending criminal sanctions against drug users. [That] the Greens should be turning their attention to commercial and street-level heroin dealers.. but the expanded needle exchange program had some merit.”

Firstly – criminal sanctions – aka “The War On Drugs” is not stopped for drug users: “Continuing criminal penalties for the supply and/or possession of commercial quantities of illegal drugs” - “people not attending counselling would be fined. Jail was a last resort.”

So, criminal sanctions are not ended, just altered, and if help is not sought, enacted. And for the commercial and street-level heroin dealers – the same penalties apply – but if the research proves effective, it's going to hit them where it hurts. (I don't imagine these policies are at all popular with drug dealers.)

Bringing in existing methadone programs, needle exchanges, and injecting rooms has met all the same criticism, and and light of these, I can only see the minor, and final, extension of them in these policies – they really are inevitable.

Opposition spokeswoman Helen Shardey says she is “concerned by the policy” - that it is “fraught with danger and sends a bad message to people who are trying to get off drugs.”

I'm not sure how forcing them into rehab is a bad message to those trying to get off drugs.

And now into the juicy 'comment' by the Herald Sun's Ellen Whinnett, who reminds us the Greens “are often dismissed (Ed: although, almost exclusively so by this newspaper, pundits, and sects) as a kooky fringe group.” She also reminds us Labor and the Liberals will need to preference deals with the Greens.

Then she says... actually she says almost exactly what the Liberal rep' said – the policies “are highly charged and politically dangerous.”

Actually that's a very valid point – they are politically dangerous – no major party would dare enact these changes, they wouldn't dare risk any seemingly impending vote loss, and the threats of being 'kooky' - best leave it to the Greens, claim they were forced to with the whole balance of power thing, and that way they can come out squeaky clean as usual. Mmm – chicken-shit politics at its finest.

“This will horrify many voters, especially victims of drug-related crimes.” It just wouldn't be a News Limited publication without informing people how they are going to feel. You are horrified because I said 'many' would be – that concern you may be feeling about change is being horrified – it's not fear of change, or a natural reaction to an inaccurate sensational headline - it's horror.

The decriminalization of drugs, the legalization of all drugs, or even the legalization of drug-related crime might possibly horrify victims of drug-related crimes. But, a policy that forces the drug-users to get help or be punished? I don't see how that even works as an argument.

And then Ellen gets a little more removed from reality.

“If the Greens are to be taken seriously, they need to start acting like a serious political party.”

(Well, when you have no state representation, it is a little hard to be professional - these future politicians are not driving around in tax-payer funded cars with secretaries - they have existing jobs, they are normal people.)

“And that means no policy on the run.”

Hold the phone – where did that come from? Does the party have a history of this? Is there anywhere this has happened? I've never heard of any serious alterations in party policy - I think I can recall a tweak here or there. You can't just claim something as fact when there is no example of it. (OK, so it's an op-ed, you can do what you like, but it is rather ridiculous.)

“Colleen Hartland yesterday launched the party's drug policy, but is was alarmingly light on detail. If the Greens are going to put up a policy they know is going to polarise the community, they need to know the details – and be able to justify why we should vote for it.”

Alarmingly light on detail? Personally I felt the policy was well fleshed out – but for a comparison, actually dont even bother checking out the Victorian Liberal and Labor party's election policy pages – there is nothing at all about drugs. There are 37 items in the state Greens drugs policy – listing changes to transition programs, specialist services, expansions to the dual diagnosis programs, increasing recruitment and retention incentives for staff in the alcohol and drug sector, how exactly is that light on detail? Any drug-related programs will be run by the institute, which will "evaluate drug policy." In other words - they will analyse the effectiveness of trials, and flesh out the exact details - studied by analysts, rather than dictated by vote-hugging politicians.

From an Age article about the same matter:
Opposition health spokeswoman Helen Shardey said the Liberals supported neither prescribing heroin nor injecting rooms. But, she said, measures were needed to help people get off drugs.
“We need good programs for detoxification and, if necessary, the use of drugs like methadone so people can reclaim their lives and come off (heroin)," she said.

Good programs for detoxification? That's a fair chunk of Greens policy right there.

And I like her use of the words “drugs like methadone” - how about diacetylmorphine – it also acts on the opioid receptors and thus produces many of the same effects, was originally released as a treatment for morphine addiction, it has a significantly less prolonged withdrawal symptoms than methadone, has proven very successful as an alternative when methadone fails in treatment programs, only problem is, it's usually called heroin.

"We think injecting rooms would have a 'honey pot' effect of encouraging far more usage. The other question, of course, is where do the Greens think they are going to get heroin from to prescribe? Are they going to go and buy it on the blackmarket?"

The honey pot effect has been dealt with from the word go in the Swiss trial, and would be thoroughly considered and monitored by the research institute as one of the major issues. Where are they going to get heroin? They might get them from the same places all the other countries get them from, maybe? This image is too nice to not add:

In Thursday's paper, there was a letter to the editor from a Courtney Smith from Mansfield, who pays $40 a month for epilepsy medication, notes it's not covered by Medicare nor any other government organisation. "And yet the Greens want to provide free (see how well the little lies sink in) heroin to people who choose to take up the drug in the first place. Maybe free dugs for people who actually need them will get them more votes."

Courtney - for starters, methadone is on the PBS already. And for seconders - your (OK, they aren't particularly high compared to some) medication costs are the fault of existing governments, and which party is most likely to push for more affordable healthcare? Who said "It's unacceptable for the government to even consider further increasing health care costs for patients who are already failing to fill prescriptions as a direct result of recent price rises to the PBS"? Who has stood against anything that hacks away at Medicare, and has continued to push for it to extend further? It's just silly to bite the hand that has been trying to extend to you and your plight for as long as it has existed.

These are not popular changes, but they are necessary. Read them for yourself – most of them are not even mentioned as newsworthy in these articles.

One of the other good policies is: Banning donations from the tobacco and alcohol industry to political parties. Ouch – but those parties really need their drug money! It makes up nearly a quarter of a million dollars for 2004/5 (including some to the Democrats.)

The Hun's article doesn't quite match up to the blatant lies from the 2004 article that the Press Council slammed them for, so they're probably safe there.

Also - note how they put an attractive female photo next to the photo at the top of this post. This next one is from a couple of days ago:

Ultimately, there isn't much resistance to the policies. Just a few small comments about the "free-heroin!!!" part. Their transportation policy (despite the Hun's article above claiming "not one cent spent on roads" - which seems to be a fabrication) is getting rave reviews. If the balance of power is gained, hopefully, finally, changes can be made.

To the Bush bashers:

I don't really care about Bush saying the word 'shit' - it shows he's just a human.
I don't really care if he was talking with a mouth full of food.
I don't really care if he did touch that German lady - it seemed playful enough.

But what I found a bit disturbing, is the fact he looked like he really didn't give a flying shit about what Tony Blair had to say at all. A little respect amongst world leaders would be nice.

Leb's come home.

Israel. Palestine.

Didn't we warn Syria against providing a haven for certain folk - fleeing the American attacks in Iraq?
And now we're excited that Syria is now a haven for our folk - fleeing Israeli attacks in Lebanon?

What a whacky region. Here's a prediction of a headline for the year 2106 (which is a slight rewrite of this article):

"Israeli robo-jets and plasmatronic missiles struck targets in Lebanon today, including Beirut's teleports and some cellular-suburbs, killing 17 people and 12 cyber-servants after Hezbollah laser-railgun rockets hit deep into Israel.
Lebanese 3D-HD-TV showed columns of smoke rising from the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut's southern cellular-suburbs where two BFG-missiles struck."

In case the point of that whisks by - this war has no end through war, and will continue for our lifetimes, so don't even bother pondering who's right, who's wrong, and push for peace in our great great great grandchildren's lifetimes

Blog's First Birthday

This blog is a year old. So I might put in a big whole chunk of effort and make a speech, visit some of the older posts, remininissece, run a spell cheque, adjust the heading graphic, and post a whole big bunch of crap.

Back in the day... *wavy lines* I was reading blogs for a while, I found them to be quite informative - a nice gristle-chew. First ones I got into were linked from an Age article about blogs. I believe they were The Road To Surfdom, Melbourne Lefty, some other popular one I can't rememer the name of, and Red Rag (and Where is Raed? during the Iraqi war, back in the day). These blogs have gone now (Surfdom had a come-back), Robb Corr from Red Rag is now on Larvatus Prodeo, and we don't discuss Melbourne Lefty. That sickening stalking episode still refuses to die.

In this collection of high quality blogs, most political issues were discussed, which didn't leave much to be justify another blog with the same old crud on it. So I didn't. But, as a member of the Labor party, and increasingly involved in union activities - I noticed a bit of a hole. Most of Labors faults were being waxed over in most leftist blogs - whereas the Liberals faults were highly acknowledged. Many of the right blogs were making valid points against Labor. This was also well reflected in each and every question time.


A giant douche and a turd sandwich - umm.. no thanks.

I got a bit peeved with the lack of any political consideration to important issues - public transport, animal rights, workers rights and conditions - they (apart from IR, but only after Howard hacked into it) were just not discussed. It was all popular topics in the current media, and point scoring. There was a lot to be done, and no one wanted to do any of it.

Discontent over Labor was mentioned at every union regional, state and federal meeting, even during union training. The rank and file had little faith, which in many cases extended to foul language used at the unions continued support of them. The Greens were mentioned quite often. The only time I had read anything similar to this in the media would be in letters to the editor, and I couldn't find any in blogs. The media is always ejected from large union meetings, when the rank and file gets to have a say, and naught would be reported bar the official union line.

So I got involved in The Greens after letting my Labor membership lapse (it was a painful wait) and blogged on about all the crap that I couldn't seem to find anyone else commenting on. I did that for about one post then just crapped on about other stuff. But then, I went back to it. A bit. Some of the time.

Anyway, that's why I did it. Oh, perusing my previous posts reminded me the FTA was the final straw for leaving Labor - Latho slid it through, seeing it "beneficial" - ATWIK, "In the year following the agreement, Australian exports to the US declined, while US exports to Australia increased." Good work, ya yutz.

FIRST POST: Was a big rant about how the Salvation Armys media releases suggest they disagree with all Liberal policies, and how their complaints have solutions in Greens policies.

DUMBEST POST: That'd be the post after the first one. So very dumb.

BEST POST: Left = Sex. I ran through the sexy lefty female pollys (and Liz Jackson.)

MISSING POSTS: I have a vast number of missing posts, that only made it into the Draft folder, never to be published. I should probably do that.

So many memories.. Like the time I drew an image of the flying spaghetti monster urinating on Jesus. And it got posted on Crikey's blogwatch! Ahh, brilliant. Can't remember what the other Crikeyed one was. Oh yeah, the pol-tards one. And that time I cracked the poo's with our thin veneer of democracy over Scott Parkin. The time I went to my first Greens meeting and didn't return deranged from the 'cult'.

I do miss Aleks the Anarcho-SyndicalismisticIforgetHowItGoes postings, he was wisened and brutally harsh - I think he gave up blogging and took up The Chasers forums. Greener pastures I guess.

SOME QUOTES:
"They should put beer into a pill - so we can stop kidding ourselves."

"No One's From Mars, Everyone's From Earth, And Here's Boobs."

"This follows directly in line with the theory that Australian's are political retards, or pol-tards as we call them in the industry."

"'But, for example, you couldn't shoot a man and have these spin-doctors you speak of have you coming out smelling like roses.' Cheney: 'Watch me.'"

“By the same token, evolution does not require any intelligence or even any intervention whatsoever; the name is ambiguous. A change is in order, and we will would like to announce we will campaign so that science classes around the country shall be taught 'intelligent design' and the more aptly titled 'stupid evolution' side by side.”

"This is a book about freakin' databases, go pander your elegant linguistics someplace else, I'm trying to learn."

"In shocking news, the website ratemypoo.com (a site that allows voting on various turds) has been taken down by an Australian government order. Apparently it resembles too closely the Australian Electoral Commission site, with almost no difference between current political candidates and excrement."

Actually I can't find any good quotes, so I just chucked some random ones up there.

WHERE FROM HERE: I want to do more comics - hand-drawn, photoshopped, whatever. Blogosphere is my oyster, waiting to be torn from it's home and split in half.

I just noticed this blog is listed under Political Resources: Blogs, at the parliamentary library's site. That's pretty damn cool, and probably resembles my intentions somehow.

Anyway there's no new content here, so I'll chuck up this pic I snapped the other day. Keep in mind - it was around 7 degrees outside:


Freaky. Australian Postal workers are brave, tough souls, who wear stubbies when exposed to freezing temperatures, and say "bring it on". Much the same as when they get told they cannot attend IR rally's. Go you little posties - you are champs.

Policies

Quick rant.

Vic Greens have got their crap together and released policies. Said policies kick several kinds of arse. Planned are the serious fix-up of our shocking public transport system - building the rail lines that both the majors have been pretending to commit some effort towards looking into doing a feasibility study sometime if you vote for them, maybe. Fixing the dangerous pokies problems are also in there - reducing the amount losable - about bloody time too.

Also nice is the IR policies - "reversing the Kennett Government’s referral of the State’s industrial relation powers to the Commonwealth." Something the workers and unions so-called mates, Labors Bracks never quite got around to. Useless bastard. Oh and that common-law negligence right to sue that he also never got around to bringing back when he was standing up for workers rights. Useless bastard.

I find most of the individual clauses fit into two categories - "hey, they stole that idea from me", and "that is the most logical solution to the problem".

Some good ones:
"Providing workplace education in schools and TAFE to inform young people
of their rights as workers, including in relation to OHS and equal opportunity" - we always hear about the young being the most vulnerable to WorkChoices - why not make them the most informed? Cheap. Easy to apply. Effective. Brilliant.

"Supporting fast-track research into, and the introduction of, more motorcyclist friendly
road barriers, and other ways to make fuel-efficient motorcycling a more
viable and safe alternative to driving" - quite an important one. I recall a recent community outrage over a particularly motorcyclist-unfriendly road barrier installed nearby. Nothing was done. A motorcyclist was killed hitting it. Then, and only then.. actually no, nothing was done. They're those chain-link ones - slightly cheaper!

"Implementing pilot projects to improve bicycle-to-public transport connectivity,
including bicycle carrying on public transport" - my ideas! Stolen (from within my own head no less) again! Damn you!

"All native forests in urban and town water catchments will be permanently protected from logging and woodchipping" - beggars belief that this hasn't even been implemented yet.

Lots of much needed public-private partnership transparency reforms too. No free public transport, but services are getting such a whopping improvement I'm not too disappointed.

Still, the balance of power isn't guaranteed, neither is Bracks' willingness to help out. Time will tell.

Non-core verbal agreement

Keep your Jesus off my penis

First it was rosaries off ovaries...


My fav:
"One day you'll face the pearly gates, and what you gonna say
when that long-haired Jewish peacenik sends your ass the other way?"

Guerrillapedia

Wikipedia founder launches political site.

MISSION:
"It's time for politics to become more intelligent, and for democracy to really involve the people. Broadcast media tells you what to think and doesn't let you get involved. It's time to focus on what you need, what you care about, and the messages you want to get out."

It's as if millions of spin-doctors suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.

The site is http://campaigns.wikia.com/wiki/Campaigns_Wikia. Pretty sparse thus far, but a space to watch. I think it's an exciting development, debate on many issues is usually stifled by dodging questions, spinning answers and pushing for the good old "I'm sorry, we're out of time, we'll have to leave it there."

Blog-stoushes end as they fall down the posting list, internet forums get cluttered, televised debates are time restricted, and question time is just that - question time, not answer time. A perpetual debate wiki is a brilliant solution - issues can be segmented, itemised, analysed, and shot down in flames into the burning wreck of an argument that it may or may not be.

It's obviously going to stay US-centric for some time, but that just makes it all the more applicable in the 52nd state down under.

*ahem* ALL.. HELL.. CAN'T STOP US NOW...

Yeah, turn that shit up. Guerrillapedia.

How do the bees know?

Post-mortem salvation.

I saw a bumper stick whilst on my travels today: JESUS DIED FOR YOUR SINS.

And you know, it really made me think... If I am a good and don't sin - then Jesus died for no reason, and my lack of vice makes the vanity of His death all the more pointless. Fuck that, no man or God-Man should die pointlessly if it can be helped - so let's stop all wars, and start sinning. It's the only way. Peace and pre-marital sex for all!

But why did Jesus really die?
To put it simply, because He claimed to be the Messiah, and it was pretty much against the law, and He got the old capital punishment.

Therefore, what would have avoided Jesus' murder?

THINGS THAT WE NEED TO IMPLEMENT UNIVERSALLY IN ORDER TO PREVENT JESUS DYING AGAIN:
No capital punishment.
Religious tolerance and anti-vilification.
Secular government.
No over-zealous sedition laws.

It's a good thing for Jesus we have all moved on with those! Aha.. *sigh*

"He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty suspect of middle Eastern appearance"
"If Amnesty International had had it's way, Jesus would walk the Earth today!"

Mr Jones Strikes Up A Litigation...

So Alan Jones' lawyers may have stopped one $100,000 four-years-effort book from being published by the ABC, but Auntie is not a controlled media outlet. It surrenders not to legal threats from shock jocks. Like The Closet Recordings of Anal* Alan Jones. The ones where he swears and whinges like a little child. They're available on Triple J's Hack website, right here.

Oh, the link is dead. The ABC has removed it I guess. The link has even been removed from Wikipedia just today (that link shows how it was edited out, see the yellow bit.) Archive.org has the page from August 2004 to March 2005.

Well, um. Hmmm...

I, for one, welcome our new talk-show overlords.

Remember folks, it's not OK for the ABC to publish a biography about Alan Jones, but it's fine for Alan Jones to 'lead the charge' on Cronulla and incite violence. (One of these could have caused serious legal problems............)

* - that was an actual correction, I actually typed the struck-out bit (twice).. Freudian or accurate? You decide.

Sizable sibling slappage.

The blogger hivemind is all abuzz with, wait, is abuzz a word? Yes it is, OK, (stupid damn public schools and their lack of emphasis on advanced wordery to make me sound smartier) it's all abuzz with the whole Big Brother eviction due to a non-concented turkey-slap.

Personally, I just don't care - I don't watch the show. They got a collection of exhibitionist out-going out-landish extroverts, trapped them in fairly tortuous conditions, and filmed it for your viewing pleasure. No one should be suprised when shit happens.

This isn't even Big Brother anyway - this is Little Brother - Big Brother is Guantanamo Bay, or that 'clicking' sound when you pick up the phone after you send a letter to the PM or join Greenpeace.

And why the hell am I giving them free advertising, like everyone else commenting on it - damnation!

Senator Coonan said the show's constant sexual advances towards women
"ruthlessly reinforce the kind of notion that women are objects".

Um.. at a guess they probably have the same kinds of sexual advances towards men, reinforcing the notion that men are objects too, so your point is void, you crusty theropod.

Howard called for the show to be axed, and, being the leader of the opposition, Kim Beazley completely agreed and repeated John's opinion, but with different words. (Can Kim sack some speech writers and from now on just point to the PM and say "yeah.. uh.. what he said").

Andrew Bartlett claimed it was an "excessive intrusion into the lives of Australians by moralising, preaching politicians". His blog post is "Thought Police attack Big Brother". Andy, get your hand off it, they're expressing their "want" for the show to be cancelled, and A) it's not going to happen, and B) they aren't going to be make it happen because C) it's a nice cash cow for industry mates, and D) they're only saying it to soak up some votes from the matter. Hand off it, please, you half-arsed "lone voice of dissent" (claims Fairfax) - quite frankly, I fail to see how Bartlett himself is not merely attempting to soak up some "lone voice of dissent" brownie points.
"What's that Lassie? The government is making a weak, hollow and completely non-effective statement about the axing of a crass television programme? Orwell was right! To the Democrat-mobile!"



THE LOOOOOOOOOOOOONE RANGER VOICE OF DISSENT..
(Lone voice of dissent may only extend to non-issues. Batteries not included. Bartlett and Democrats available for a limited time only.)

Now, the government's appointment of Windshuttle, and the cancellation of Jonestown in his first board meeting - is a far better example of government media meddling.

Andrew Bolt made a claim last June about dams - "if we built more like it we'd have -- guess what? -- more water."

June is an interesting time for his rant, because, here in Melbourne, it was the driest June in 148 years.

I visited the Grampians back in December, and took this shot of Lake Bellfield - the local water supply:


Note the optimistic water markers that don't quite reach the actual water. Perhaps building more of these empty reservoirs would magically create water? Apparently it's storage "dangerously low".

This photo was taken a month before half the dry national park spontaneously combusted.

Water falls all over the place - "About 90% of our water supply comes from uninhabited catchment areas." This works wonderfully - the farmers get the water that lands on them. But what about the water that lands on inhabited areas, like suburbia, or city areas? It's not exactly convenient to remove the local football oval or park to build a dam. What we need is to somehow devise a way so that inhabited areas can catch water without great expense, or demolishing existing amenities. There has to be some solution that fits these guildlines, because it would solve our entire water problem.

We can call them mini-catchments - I know - we could use existing roofs as some sort of collection-plate, and the existing gutters could be used to collect the water into a pipe that could, instead of dumping the water away from the property, could store the water in some sort of local water repository - we could make them out of polypropylene, or even galvanised steel!

My God, I am a freakin' genius - my mini-catchment idea is brilliant! It uses catchment devices that are already in place, requires only simple plumbing and a water repository (if mass-produced they should be incredibly cheap) - catches water where it is needed, doesn't require environmental destructive dams, doesn't harm farmers water supplies in anyway (in fact, they can get more of the storage water if we use it less), and provides clean un-treated rainwater to anyone with a roof! I'm going to be rich!

Oh, I just did some research - apparently it's already been done, but people just don't like the general "idea" of collecting their own water - and that seemingly weak argument is more important than all the above positive points.

Apparently, from scouring his forums, Andy side-steps any direct suggestion that water tanks are a bad idea, he only hints at it, but his argument revolves around dams being both cheaper and more effective than tanks.

Every house that uses a water tank is using water that is not drained from existing supplies. They way I see it, there's three solutions: We can have greater water restrictions, increases in the cost of water to reduce demand, or reduce the demand for dam water through an increased number of homes with water tanks.

But who stands to lose if water tanks are built, instead of dams? It's free, so there's no profit to be made - but it's not like water is a commodity.

Oh wait, it is. Thanks state and federal. I'm guessing farmers are going to have to beg for their water back after having it purchased by investors.

Oh wait, they already are:
"water trading policies are destroying rural communities"
"farmers were forced to sell water or leave their farms"
"The water is seized upon by the vultures of farming, large corporate investment funds and transferred away to new irrigation developments"
"the water market should be scrapped" (Bill Heffernan)
"Some farmers have resorted to mortgaging their water to stave off the collapse of their businesses"

And remember - this is the "farmer-friendly" Nationals-Liberals coalition that introduced this.

I love how we have farmers mortgaging their water. And how, with voting preferences, they asked for it. I can just see rural Australian's bending over, spreading their cheeks and asking "please Sir, I want some more."

Wonderings

I was wondering a few things recently.. What ever happened to Mamdouh Habib? Why is Channel 31 not on digital TV? Does the new kick-arse recently opened student radio station SYN stream online? And.. I wonder if the Howard government could possibly be any worse?

Well, Mamdouh Habib is still with us. Hicks is.. well, fucked royally still. I love how his rep (Michael Mori) has turned from dutiful US militarian to THIS SHIZNAT IS A FUDGE-PACKING DISGRACE!!!11

I was actually wondering why Habib seemed to fade away into obscurity (PTSD aside.) I'm sure ASIO is still monitoring his lavatory and is attempting to deconstruct any possible patterns in his bowel movements that might be being used to transmit information important to terrorists.

I love the story from late August 2005, where he was 'hit from behind and attacked with a knife by three men near his home' when going for a walk, a car hit the lights, and he was told something like 'this should keep you quiet'. A suspicious car was noted by his son earlier, and the power was cut to his home for a brief period when he got home. The funny bit is that despite being threatened in such an extreme manner, he went to the police and the press. I guess the whole keeping quiet thing didn't really sink in - but cojonesie.

But as far as I can gather, Habib is pretty much a medicated foetal rocking post traumatic vegetable who will probably only last a few more years before the nightmares get the best of him (there's a fuckin' prediction for ya).

Anyway, back to SYN, it does stream. From the little I've heard, there's some whole-hearted typical-student zero-tolerance for political incompetence and typical-student complete and total social awareness goings on. And the fuckers have Habib on Monday, 9-10 AM. Awesome.

They also have a few TV shows on Channel 31. Awesome.

So I check 31's site, click on the Digital TV button, getting all excited, thinking I might be able to tune in (even on our shadow-of-the-mountain shitbox UHF community repeater which goes out if the wind blows too hard) - but no, they are attempting to lobby the federal government - Helen "WE ARE GOING TO BECOME DINOSAURS - WALKING FUCKING BIRD-LIZARDS FROM THE JURASSIC PERIOD WITH SCALES MUCH LIKE MY OWN IF WE DON'T SERIOUSLY ENACT SOME DODGY FORCED DIGITAL TELEVISION BILL THAT ALSO ALLOWS GREATER MONOPOLIES AND FOREIGN OWNERSHIP - DINO-FUCKING-SAURS" Coonan no less - to get it done.

Apparently Helen Coonan's comment "there is a compelling case for change and if the Government does not act, then there is a genuine risk that Australia will become a dinosaur of the analog age" - does not extend to actually allowing community television access to the digital spectrum - if you want to watch, use the analog tuner.

Why does everything come down to politics, and more precisely, the Liberals?