I’ve said it many times before. Australia is the best damned country in the world with the exception of some island nations in the Caribbean with some very liberal banking laws.
For all that Australia can be a confusing place, especially for Australians. There are three tiers of government, all pretty much worthless and in various stages of decrepitude shuffling between inertia, chaos all the way along to abject failure. We have a corporate world blagging its way around a laughably cobbled together regulatory system while trying not to snigger too much. There’s a mutant media that routinely crucifies people, more often that not for no apparent good reason and a taxation system that, frankly, I gave up on a long time ago.
Last week the Turnbull government announced a range of changes to the 457 visa scheme and rounded it off with tightening requirements for citizenship. At a presser and then again in an interview with Leigh Sales on the ABC, our Prime Minister, resplendent in an electric blue suit, equivocated in response to what were some fairly mild inquiries on his thoughts on Australian-ness and what he considered might be Australian values.
Full column here.
numbers of French in Hong Kong has doubled in a couple of years, i think they are just getting out.
Of?
just getting out of France i think. the increase is quite noticeable.
Ah-ha! Right, sorry. I wasn’t sure if there was a body of French getting out of mainland PRC for some reason.
Just checked my footy tips, wasn’t a good idea……..insert suitable emoji here….
At least you’ve got one at this stage, my scorecard just makes me want to drink more fourex. And it’s giving me the shits to see Jack run pass me on the rails.
shit loads better than this camp then….im on the wagon….
LAO TZU:- .Lou oTOD says:
MAY 5, 2017 AT 8:35 PM
You wanna guitar solo…OK check this out Bald
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uAUoz7jimg
I agree with U on Fairfax going out of print before The Oz…and why? Fairfax does not have a multibillionaire to finance it! Apples? Oranges?
Bassy,
They were once extremely profitable but they did not adjust their business model to reflect the internet.
They thought that the rivers of gold from their classifieds would last forever.
They got to be self-indulgent , thought they were immune to outside forces, and thought that they could keep going further to the left. I actually cancelled by subscription for awhile and so did many others.
I hope they survive because they do a brilliant job in keeping NSW State government honest – usually a full time job in NSW. They were at their best during the last stages of the the last Labor Government.
Gawd…how true is this…Seccombe BRILLIANT as usual.
https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/education/2017/05/06/turnbulls-war-universities/14939928004602
B’man good article. “Book learning is a real danger for conservative politics. Numerous studies show that the more educated a person is – the more developed their analytical faculties – the less likely they are to vote for a party of the right. And vice versa.” Classic.
Did you see the bit in the “good article” about Labour doing no better than the LNP at the last election among the university educated than the general population?
Don’t defame me carl. Well done for proving the quote correct.
Just as I thought Dismayed, you have a problem comprehending most of your links. You’re as shallow as a petri dish mate.
Depends what they studied sunshine = if they are the soft courses the answer is probably yes, These bunch of rent seekers know who to pander to to keep the Government money flowing so that they can keep enjoying the good life.
Spot on JS.
Just more of the political corruption of the social sciences. I’ve seen dozens of articles of the vein “Conservatives are mentally disturbed”. Bad science which should never survive peer review. Would love to have one of them cross my desk. But, I gave up reviewing a few years ago. Did my bit for the top journals and it’s too much a pain in the ass to keep doing it.
Even as a leftie who studied in the Social Sciences/Humanities, I thought it was a rather crappy and smug article.
JS you to proving the quote correct. Oh my HAHAHAHA.
you don’t mean more educated, what you mean is the more time people have spent at university.
and its true the more time you spend at uni the more progressive ideas generally come to seem normal, but that doesn’t mean you are any more educated or smarter, nor that your analytical faculties are more developed.
it might just be that you have been saturated in those ideas by a faculty who know nothing else.
Carlton getting right on with the job at the G, 6 goals the better approaching 3/4 time. Glad I tipped them as GWS and shortly Adelaide have failed my faith. You were right about a weekend of upsets Jack. 3 games in and my tips are in disarray.
Top win from the Blues as eerily predicted by TV a week ago.
Suns repaid the faith and ‘dogs home in a last gasp effort. The run of upsets continues. Port downed too. Leos and Demons my pick tomorrow but Freo and Bombers an each way bet. I took Freo. Blues have a tougher assignment next week. Saints looking the goods and in fine fettle.
On the upset quadrant, I’ve got the Bombers in the West. The Swans should have a win today. Demons v Hawks game almost untippable. I’ve gone the Dees basically out of spite.
🙂 🙂 🙂
Dees played a good game but still came home without the lollies. Bombers ran out of petrol and played an awful last 1/4. The weekend was a tipping nightmare. Every team that won beat a team higher on the ladder. Considering you missed the first game Jack you’ve finished near the top for the weekend. Well done. You seem to do well off a handicap – have you given any thought to taking a run at Stawell?
They’d have to give me 85 metres, GW.
I see coaches confused and bemused again by the umpiring. St Kilda 22 GWS 10 free kicks, Footscray also continue to be awarded many more free kicks than other sides something that has been highlighted over the last 18 months. It is getting harder and harder for non Victorian sides to get a free kick. Yes I know it is not how many but non calls and where the calls are made makes a huge difference to the outcomes. Momentum and flow is stopped dead by poor decisions and non decisions. I don’t agree with Sam Newman very often but a couple of weeks ago he highlighted 12 frees awarded that resulted in goals none of which should have been paid. There is a big problem with the way the game is being umpired. Too many “interpretations” in what was once a simple game.The GC v Geelong game which I did not see, had far fewer frees paid than the other games it was probably a better game to watch?
This is the usual ‘we woz robbed’ babble from South Australians. I’ve looked at the stats. They don’t show any bias home/away or to Victorian clubs. Port lost to Eagles yesterday and had four more free kicks (16 – 20). Big deal. The larger problem is umpires are having to run through a checklist before giving a free kick on defintions that are relayed to them weekly and change or are ‘clarified’ from week to week. It’s almost become impossible to umpire.
JTI. I did not mention SA. I said Non Victorian teams. There was an article earlier in the year showing that Victorian clubs do get more frees for than Non Victorian sides. I also noted Non calls. Maybe more home games in Melbourne is the reason but here are just a couple of articles over a couple of years showing Victorian teams do receive more frees over the last several years and yes one of the articles comes from an SA paper but is just putting the stats forward only West Coast of the Non Victorian teams comes out in front.
http://www.footyalmanac.com.au/victorian-bias-in-free-kicks-whod-have-thought/
https://davewarner.com.au/huge-pro-vic-bias-in-free-kicks-2016/
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/afl/more-news/statistics-show-that-melbourne-clubs-are-awarded-more-free-kicks-at-home/news-story/319ca8cc753fd6a98a524ea5d0915d6f
Where’s the 2017 data? Sixty three games played. Whee is it?
2017 FF/FA Brisbane 152 – 136, Nth Melbourne 151-131 , Bulldogs 149- 115, Port 138-139, WC 135-114, Carlton 132-111, Geelong, 132-141, Melbourne 132 -121, Sydney 130-150, Freo 127-129, St Kilda 126-125, Richmond 125-172, Adelaide 125- 140, GWS 124- 158, Collingwood 123-110, GCS 120-116, Essendon 115-127, Hawks 114-117. Richmond the most heavily penalised but followed closely by GWS, Sydney, Adelaide, Port, Geelong and Brisbane. Interesting. Bulldogs are getting a dream run.
http://www.afl.com.au/stats#
The stats make your original arguement another load of bullshit.
Where s the Victorian bias? Have you ever given any thought to the way certain teams play the game? Ever heard of a professional free kick? Or a staged free, it made up a big chunk of certain player’s stats.
You recon Port are up there with a net differential of one?
You mention Brisbane when they are plus 16 differential.
You must be paying a lot of money for whatever you are on that creates such a level of disorientation.
LotD. Let me explain it slowly for you. 5 of the top 7 most awarded Free kick teams are Victorian. 5 of the top 7 most penalised teams are Non Victorian. You have developed an inferiority complex like one of the other old con from Qld. You again prove you know F all about anything.
Pies v Carlton yesterday, Vic teams got EVERY free! 😛
Graham Cornes thinks the Vic umps cheat on a subconscuous level, TV. Paranoid gibbering on AFL umpiring. There’s an entire industry devoted to it in Adelaide. And let’s face it, it might be one of the very few who can make a quid out of the joint.
Yeah I’ve got a mate who backs up the SANFL shoulder chip all the way
They make the biggest,saltiest chips in SA. Cornes has a large one on each shoulder to give himself the delusion of balance.
You’re right Jack, “we was robbed” should be the State anthem.
Nice to see the Eagles get a leg over Port, again, without the umpires help. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to have a lively chat with the ferals.
Say what you will about the SANFL this bloke could play.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDzGfPGf-Nw
umpires are elite athletes hamstrung by red tape.
just get out of the way and let ’em perform
Graham Cornes? he took a mark in 1973 and has been living off it since. The Adelaide media always has been and always will be a nepotistic disgrace. Check out Grave Danger handle Cornes at the 45 sec. mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc1OOGlRxfQ
So John (this is my last term) Coates gets the nod. He gets to address the audience for thirty minutes while his challenger doesn’t……..pay cut anyone?
I’m still puzzled as to what exactly the taxpayer gets from giving money to sport. I know a lot of people LIKE sport and there might be worse things to put money towards but lots of people like lots of things government doesn’t fund (and even occasionally bans).
When Malcolm Turnbull chucked a fit and told thirty sporting codes that if women didn’t get equal treatment in terms of travel and accommodation as male athletes he would pull their federal funding, my first question was, “Canberra funds THIRTY sports? Why?”
Sports and the arts should get funding (and then only at the State level) to the extent of teaching people to tertiary level how to do them. After that, cut them loose. What do the rest of us get from chucking large amounts of money at things that benefit a relatively few people?
I would argue that we’re a nation of government addicts. Need lights for the footy field in your suburb? Don’t raise funds, go see your MP. Anything worth doing requires taxpayer dollars.
We get absolutely nothing TBLS – especially from athletics which must have an audience
of about .001% with a little blip around the Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
All are rent seekers.
But Turnbull backed off with his cuts to the Arts.
There are too many people on the Government teat.
I understand that Coates sucks in $700k a year.
He’s been in the job at least 17 years too long, Tracy. There should be compulsory change after ten years max. 27 years and it’s autocracy for sure! They need a younger person in the role – not an old fuddy duddy
Who are you, Prince Charles or summat?
Anyone else noticed that the Fairfax SMH reads the same even though all the journalists are on strike?
I’m still trying to figure out how Australia’s only business newspaper has an anti-business point of view.
I can’t figure out why it’s the Murdoch press that goes after the ABC so hard while Fairfax tries to occupy the same space by adopting the same editorial lines; they’re after much the same audience. If anyone has anything to gain by the ABC being wound back it’s Fairfax. B’MAN and others seem to think The Australian has an unfair advantage against Fairfax papers by virtue of having Rupert Murdoch as their sponsor but doesn’t seem to have a problem with the ABC having a $billion-plus budget to go into direct competition with them.
Maybe the idea is to get the ABC so huge it can absorb the entirety of the ex-Fairfax staff on better pay and conditions. And that could well happen when Power Bill becomes PM.
They lost the plot to the greenies and socialists years ago Dwight. It was when they turned against self managed super funds I decided toilet paper was more useful, and less abrasive.
Every now and then I’ll pick up a copy in the coffee shop, and put it down a couple of minutes later.
There was a recent announcement from the board that they wanted to bring content etc back towards the center.
There were screams everywhere.
They are filling the paper with overseas content. One headline I like was from an Italian journo “300 migrants rescued” – not refugees anymore.
Overall it was a good read.
Cuz the Italian navy is acting like a water taxi service. Hard to call clients refugees.
Except for the headline “Housing Fall to Hit Ecomomy”.
Obviously the Ecomomics editor was one of those on strike.
As for the rest of the garbage in SMH, no doubt the bosses have the same journalistic standards as the employees not currently at their desks.
I hear that Truffles has applauded trump’s dismantling of Obamacare. Only I can’t find an actual reference to it outside of the Twitterati. Anyone?
https://twitter.com/TVofCarringbush/status/860671676320669696
No but if anyone has a direct quote, I’d be grateful.
“I shouldn’t say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia, because you have better health care than we do”. Seems like he’s still struggling to remember the name. Video at top of page:
http://www.smh.com.au/world/donald-trump-backs-down-on-comment-praising-australias-health-care-20170505-gvzhk7.html
Includes Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ subsequent Trump-splaining about how whenever the President says anything, it really means something else which can only be divined by professionals such as herself.
Thanks, JOH.
Here’s the moment when Turnbull congratulates Trump for ripping affordable health care from 24 million of the poorest Americans who could at last afford health insurance for the first time in their lives. Cruel and mean.
I have taken an audio of it…been looking all over U tube for a visual. Here is what the direct quote says:-
“Well done its always good to win a vote in the Congress or the parliament as we call it (loud applause) and I gotta say its always reasonably satisfying to win a vote when people predict you are not gonna win it. So keep at it its great.
Now Turnbull was cunning. He never specifically mention that the vote was about dismantling O’Bamacare and doing 24million out of affordable health insurance but as we all know it was specifically about this. Indeed it was because that was the last major vote of Congress.
The vote was also the reason why Turnbull was kept waiting on the Enterprise for hours for Trump. Trump was cheering on the vote. Trump also said we have a better health system in Australia than America. Gawd…how dumb is this bloke…he just gave our universal health scheme a tick after closing down Americas! Madness personified!
In any future election this would be dynamite to use against Turnbull played over and over again. Here is Turnbull cheering on the dismantling of a national health scheme. Where were his minders?
Wrong spaceship… Intrepid?
Source?
Even the communists on Insiders this morning thought that Turnbull was applauding a win, rather than supporting the dismantling of Obamacare (which the spellchecker recognises!) But you could have a bob each way with it and I reckon it will come up next election.
Lots of Oz journos now getting fee trips to Bogota. One or two even know how to pronounce it. I see even The Australian’s environment guru, Graham Lloyd is there. Must have already been on assignment in the Andes, counting frogs or something. The young girl is this morning reported by ‘our contacts’ (Channel Nein) to be unwilling to leave her room. I’ve had had the same feeling in the odd hotel in India . But I’ve got news for the journos (any Fairfax there ?) Take everything in Colombia with a grain of salt (or other white powder).
old idea new progress….conventional transport compatible
https://blog.csiro.au/insane-hydrogen-membrane-extracting-fuel-future/
Smoke. yeah I highlighted this last week. I know a small company here in SA who have been working with a transport company for a couple of years on several of their trucks. They have reduced fuel costs by over 30%. They have moved onto units for small business and eventually homes will have their own units coupled with solar and probably batteries as well. Cannot get any Government funding here in Australia and are looking to China and Europe, Germany interestingly enough on the 80 year anniversary of the Hindenberg. I still liken the Hindenberg to coalition policy, wrong choice of gas, explosive, more expensive and a great “oh the humanity” humanitarian disaster.