Peter Short dies with dignity

His struggle with cancer has ended. His family will continue advocacy for dying with dignity. 

Hi, my beautiful husband Pete died this morning at 12:20 AM. He died peacefully and I was privileged enough to be sitting on his bed holding his hand at that time. Pete’s decision to opt for Palliative care brought him to a place of calmness and serenity and for all of us, safety and security. It allowed Pete to relax, stop fighting and go calmly to his happy place. Thank you all so much for your constant love and support, it has meant the world to us. 

As a family we will continue to strive to achieve Pete’s dream of seeing Senator Richard Di Natale’s Dying With Dignity Bill become Law. 

Elizabeth and Mitchell x more

Brother from NZ coming tonight

He's up in Brisbane with his son and they're flying in for a two night stay before heading back to Brisbane and New Zealand from there. Well that's how it's ended up after a bit of bother he had.

Being from Taranaki, he didn't think to book any flights in advance. So he rung me yesterday in a bit of a state. Said all the air tickets were booked out, and really expensive. I'm like yes, that's normally what happens at Christmas and new year. He'd managed to get a plane trip down to Sydney but nothing back. Asked me about getting a train, and could I go on the net to look it up. 

This was highly unusual. He's prided himself on not having anything to do with the internet and email. This is a bloke who runs a business in Taranaki FFS. So in frustration I've been trying to drag him into the 21st century to at least email. Saying he's missing out on photos and everything. But no, he proudly says if he wants to talk to someone he'll ring them. FFS what is it about Kiwi's and the internet? I know the place is generally ten years behind everyone else but they must be getting the hang of the net by now surely. 

So I had to hold back my laughter when he asks me to go on the net to look up train tickets from Sydney to Brisbane. Ha ha ha ha ha..... So I looked it up and rung his son's phone number. Who doesn't answer. Fuckin Kiwi's, don't even answer their bloody phones. Couldn't get through. So I tried my brother's number that he reckons is all modern and on global roaming or some shit and is the one he's ringing me from Brisbane on. Of course it doesn't work as it's a Kiwi phone number. 

Eventually David tries ringing his son on his phone. Finally the bloke answers. David tells him to get his dad to ring me. Brother finally rings me. I give him the options and he wants the earlier train. I say I'll pay it here, print out the tickets, and they'll be ready when they get here for the train back. He asks "How do you pay for it? With a credit card or something?" ..... Fucks sake man, how the hell does he run a business?

Anyway it'll be interesting to see him again, and his son. Last time he was only a toddler, now he's nearly 30. 

GetUp's 2014 - video

In the face of the worst gov ever to be elected in Australia, the GetUp movement stood up stronger than ever. All of us who had any part in telling Abbott to get fucked should be proud of what we've accomplished in 2014. The gov started the year arrogantly. It ended it with it's tail between it's legs.

 

Drug testing for welfare recipients - US

See, it's all our fault we're poor. Read between the lines. We're poor because we're druggies and that's why we're not leading successful lives, whatever that means.

What an invasion of privacy. What an outrage against someone's personal space. To be forced to go through a medical procedure simply by getting welfare from the state. And the US prides itself on not being a nanny state? *pffffft*

Welfare recipients in some Michigan counties will soon be tested if they’re suspected of using drugs, under a set of bills signed into law by Gov. Rick Snyder this week. 

The Senate and House bills, which were signed into law Friday, will create a yearlong pilot program in three counties that will screen welfare recipients and applicants to determine whether or not they’re suspected of using drugs. If they are, the applicants or recipients must submit to a drug test. If the test comes back positive, they will be referred to a treatment program, and if they choose not to enter the program, they will lose their welfare benefits. Applicants and recipients will also lose their eligibility for welfare benefits for six months if they refuse to take a drug test, but according to a statement from the governor’s office, the benefits can be restored once they submit to and pass a drug test. 

Snyder’s office says the program, which will be completed by September 2016, will help “remove barriers” keeping Michigan residents from finding work and supporting their families. 

“This pilot program is intended to help ensure recipients get the wrap-around services they need to overcome drug addiction and lead successful lives. We’ll then have opportunity to assess effectiveness and outcomes,” Snyder said in a statement. more  

The idiots who voted for Abbott - pics

This is why Abbott was elected. These people could vote. Complete brain dead lemmings. Here's some of the pics. They are real, before the election. I could comment underneath but I'm dumbfounded at the moment.

 

Coal rapidly losing market share to renewables

This being Australia, we are extremely well placed with our climate to invest heavily in solar power. A new industry where we could lead the world in research and development. Yet in the face of mounting pressure around the world to abandon coal for renewables and the writing on the wall with coal losing market share suddenly and rapidly, the Lieberals can't get past their coal blinkers.

Much will depend on whether the sharp decline in coal prices is structural rather than cyclical. The government and the coal fraternity say it is cyclical, that demand will rebound. There is a good deal of hope factored into this view, hope that appears to also be the basis for the government to provide taxpayer subsidies to back the giant Galilee coal project in Queensland. 

Figures out of China last week showed thermal coal consumption fell 2.1 per cent year on year in 2014. Demand for electricity, however, still rose 3.9 per cent, an unassailable indicator that coal is losing significant market share in the battle against cleaner forms of energy. That 6 per cent loss in market share in China alone in one year can be viewed against the 10 per cent growth every year for the first 10 years of this century. 

Unfortunately, most of the profits of this boom found their way overseas. The clean-up will be funded at home. 

Yet companies such as Peabody Energy continue to fork out dividends for their shareholders while their liabilities are increasingly at risk. This company, as of yesterday, had an Altman Z-Score (global measure of financial distress) of 0.76. It is in distress zone (anything less than 1.81), implying possible bankruptcy in the next two years. 

Peabody is in better shape, though, than the Indian coal producers. A research report by IEEFA's Tim Buckley suggests all three big players in Australia – Adani, GVK and Lanco Infratech (owner of Griffin Coal in WA) – are showing Z-Scores suggesting a real risk of distress. Read more  

Why prop up a dying industry with subsides? It's economic madness. 

F-35 lemon files - video

If you want to see a fuck up of biblical proportions, then watch this.

 

It's a boy! - Zach the new cat :)

We went and picked him up from the friends yesterday. Very lively of course but also so incredibly curious and friendly. He was amazing on the trip home on the train and bus. We thought he'd meow a lot but he was relaxed and fine. David even got him out of the carrier for a bit. He was fascinated with the train and all the noises, and watching the traffic outside.

People on the platform were so taken by him. They were taking pictures and sending them off. He's a star already. His story is that his mother died at birth and they were giving away the whole litter. He'd probably have ended up on death row at the cat society if not for being taken by us. 

We got him home and he took to it straight away. Don't think his last place was very sunny. 

 

Ten corporations not to trust

I'm sure there's a lot more but there's some very well known names on this little list.

 

Galilee mines are not economically viable - Queensland

Why are the Lieberals so hell bent on digging up a stranded asset that makes no business sense? Are they completely stupid? 

With the price of coal falling through the floor and with no foreseeable recovery in the price to a viable level, surely the self appointed masters of economic management could see this and develop new industries? But no, they stubbornly hold on to coal whilst the world ditches it (pun intended).

The size of coal reserves in the Galilee basin are enormous, and mentioned in the article. This bit is about the simple facts though. The coal industry is dying.

Daniel Morgan, global commodity analyst at UBS, sums up the problem with just two numbers. “The Newcastle benchmark is currently $74 a tonne. That price is well below what developers would need to make a return on capital. We think you need a long-term price of $110 to be viable.” 

He does not foresee a long-term price anywhere close to that. Moreover, he says, Galilee Basin coal tends to be of somewhat lesser quality than the Newcastle benchmark, meaning “it would probably command a discount in the order of 10 per cent”. 

The problem is essentially one of oversupply. “There’s a very well-supplied market for thermal coal,” says Morgan. “And the time frames the proponents are talking about [the next five years or so] – we don’t need that amount of coal … or anything close to it. 

“We’re not calling for a price recovery in the next five years that would mean that it would be anywhere close to the price required to incentivise Galilee basin coal. The economics don’t stand up.” 

Adrian Cox, of Deutsche Bank, offers this from their April commodities report: “thermal coal export growth continues to exceed demand, suggesting that prices will remain depressed.” 

Worse, the report sees growth in supply outstripping growth in demand for another five years, until 2019, and excess supply persisting beyond that. As for prices? Maybe $91 a tonne by 2018. 

Wherever you go among the market analysts, the story is essentially the same: coal prices hovering somewhere below $90 – one credible analysis firm reckons $65 – while the Galilee mines need a return of $100 or more to be viable. more   

George Brandis's $1,100AU dinner

Was surprised to read such a scathing commentary in the main stream Sydney Morning Herald. This is the gov's version of heavy lifting. No wonder they reckoned the $7 charge for a doctor was a "modest" fee. Just no idea. I wonder if they had cigars as well?

A freedom of information request lodged by the Labor Party has revealed Senator Brandis opted for Australian wine on the night of April 4 when he dined with a group of senior British arts representatives at the Corinthia Hotel's fine-dining Massimo Restaurant. 

The group ordered three bottles of 2010 vintage Tyrrell's Semillon-Sauvignon and supped on a bottle of upmarket Italian Vin Santo del Chianti Bonacchi dessert wine, as well as glasses of Laurent-Perrier Champagne. 

The dinner cost taxpayers £627, with £228 in alcohol charges alone. Currency site XE said the Australian dollar was worth 56p at the time, meaning Senator Brandis's bill came to $1123, including $408 in alcohol. 

Just five days earlier, Treasurer Joe Hockey, who was preparing to unveil his first budget - which included the now-revised GP tax, a rise in the fuel excise and an extra tax on the rich - said everyone in the community needed to help to do the "heavy lifting" in repairing the budget deficit. more

Kitten mission

We're getting another cat :)

A good friend of David's who lives in that rarefied atmosphere of the north shore is moving and she's not allowed pets. Unfortunately she was just recently given a small kitten and now is at a loss as to what to do with it. David offered to take it off her hands for her and she agreed.

So today's mission is to travel over the bridge on the trains and rescue said kitten, least it be given to the RSPCA. 

It's all black, a male. Natasha apparently likes mail cats much better than females. She got on very well with Felix when he was here. David suggests she'll likely mother him.

Luckily I'm feeling less ill today. Done a dry retch or two when I got up and still a bit wobbly on my feet but not like before.  

NRA leaves bullets for Santa - US

Dead set. These people are nuts. Forget cookies or whatever, apparently Santa needs bullets. Fuck knows why :s  Better be good for Santa?

 

Day two of feeling like shit

Still feeling bad. Slight improvement though I think. No spewing just dry retching. Today though I have the added bonus of a splitting headache, so bad almost a migraine. Am sort of going between staying up and lying down if it gets too bad. Still feeling weak and shaky. 

Drinking a lot of water seems to help. Something that I have to be aware of with the kidneys, although they've been pretty good lately. Read somewhere that water helps with headaches too. Dunno about that one. 

Abbott the most fucked up person of 2014 - Angry Aussie :)

Worlds biggest solar power plant running now - US

550 megawatts of clean energy. Enough for 160,000 homes. Equivalent to taking 73,000 cars off the road. link

How the new economic boom left behind the poor & middle class

"Tony Abbott is a Lunatic" - Russell Brand

If anything Abbott has become on the world stage an example of what's wrong with global capitalism; running the whole show for corporate interests at the expense of the poor.

 

Fuck I'm sick today

Oh man I've been feeling so horrible this morning. Got up and did the usual things, brush teeth, take the nine morning pills, do the dishes and take out the rubbish, feed Natasha the cat looking at me expectantly. Then it happened.

Sometimes I get really nausea's after the pills. It's strange as it doesn't happen every day, but today was really bad. Along with hot flushes. Only had water and promptly did a projectile vomit just making it to the toilet. Sat down and it settled a bit, but felt really weak in the legs and dizzy.

Went back to bed after that. Lay there with Natasha in the chair next to me. She has a big teddy with her on the chair and just loves it. Even licks it sometimes like it's another cat. 

Sat up after a couple of hours and still felt horrible. Gladly the pills went down by then but I was still dry retching. Decided to get up out of bed instead of lying there feeling miserable. Will see how we go from here.  

SSJoe's "Red hot go" for 2015

I'm really surprised that SSJoe has used the term "red hot go" as he's in Sydney, New South Wales his electorate (some rarefied atmosphere thing on the north shore over the bridge):

"We are going to give it [economic reform] a red hot go in 2015," he said. more

I'm surprised as that the exact same thing as Labor leader Nathan Reese (one of the last in the conga line of Labor premiers failing NSW) said when he was elected/shoved in as premier to fix all:

September 5, 2008: "I'll have a red-hot go." Nathan Rees wins unanimous support of the caucus and becomes NSW Premier. Morris Iemma was forced to resign after a failed bid to sell off the electricity sector. more

I'm surprised that SSJoe would use that language after Nathan Reese time as premier was shortlived before he was knifed and replaced:

December 3: Mr Rees is dumped by Labor caucus and replaced by Kristina Keneally, who will becomes the first female premier of NSW. more

Good luck with your "red hot go" SSJoe :s 

Walmart - corporate welfare dogs

I use the term "dogs" because that's what they are. Attack dogs that fuck over communities with the gov's help in massive subsidies. I hope Walmart never comes to Australia. This isn't capitalism, you have to have a level playing field for that. It's corporate theft, pure and simple.

Watch and see how Walmart destroys a community. With the help of $1 billion in gov subsidies US wide. And for who? The workers get fuck all pay and the community is raped. Just so the 1% can get more fuckin money.

 

Abbott's Aid cuts to hit the poorest overseas, will affect HIV programs

It's obvious Abbott simply hates poor people. He's appointed Scott Morrison in his reshuffle of cabinet deck chairs from clobbering asylum seekers arriving by boat, to likely clobbering Australian welfare recipients. Fuck knows what nightmare scenario he's gonna dream up for us in the new year. At least we have the senate.

Unfortunately those who are impacted by our foreign aid programs don't have such luxury, with SSJoe (yes, believe it or not, he's still treasurer) ripping further into the foreign aid budget. These measures are going to affect HIV programs overseas in Asia particularly and impact on the poorest in the community. What a horrible mean gov this is.

AFAO executive director Rob Lake said he has written to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Commonwealth Government asking for a review of the cuts to the aid program.

Lake said AFAO operates an Australian Aid-funded program based in Bangkok, Thailand that works with affected communities in Papua New Guinea, the Pacific and major cities across south-east Asia.

“AFAO and our members work to support HIV prevention, testing, treatment access and the human rights of people with HIV, gay men, transgender people, sex workers and people who inject drugs,” Lake said.

He added that the aid program has had “made major impacts in improving health, education and the lives of some of the poorest people” in Australia’s neighbouring countries.

“These funds have saved lives and have helped to protect human rights,” Lake said. more

Look out for a possible increase in HIV (and various other STD's) amongst mining sector workers, who take holidays in Asia some of them and have unprotected sex up there, coming back and infecting their partners at home. Think I'm joking? It's a well known fact. This from the SMH:

Homosexual men still account for most new infections, but a large number of new infections are amongst heterosexual men in the country's mining rich states of Western Australia and Queensland.

Many miners work fly-in, fly-out shifts consisting of several weeks straight of work followed by a few weeks off and researchers say some are visiting Asia for their downtime.

"A small but significant number (of new infections) are among heterosexual men from the richest resource states, who are clearly taking holidays in Asia and having unprotected sex," said Don Baxter, executive director of the Australian Federation of AIDS.

Baxter said Western Australia men most likely visit Southeast Asian countries, with the state capital Perth about five hours flying time from Asia, while those in Queensland visit neighbouring Papua New Guinea, which experts say is on the verge of an African-style HIV-AIDS epidemic.

"Among heterosexual males in Western Australia there has been a 68 percent increase over the last three years. That's about the same number of heterosexual men as gay men in Western Australia to be infected in 2007," said Baxter. more

Cutting funding to HIV programs can only be bad, and it's been proven in Australia amongst states that decreased funding to HIV programs the HIV infection rate increased. 

Horrified Australian aid people have now set up a new website about it all, where you can join up and be active either physically or virtually. This a video from said site:

 

Telsa (electric car) races a Lamborghini - video

Hey Tone, take a look. I can smell the end of fossil fuels watching this.

A Telsa fully electric car races a Lamborghini. The results are pretty bloody amazing.

Over the long haul, of course, the Lamborghini won since it’s a sports car that can hit top speeds of over 200 miles per hour while the Model S P85D is a luxury sport sedan that tops out at 155 miles per hour. That said, what’s really remarkable about the Tesla’s performance in the race was that it jumped out to a very quick lead thanks to its amazing acceleration. 

“Off the line, it does appear that the Tesla can accelerate faster than the Aventador from 0-50 mph (1st gear on the Aventador),” explains Wong in his analysis of the race. “And then from 50-80 mph (2nd gear on the Aventador), the two cars appeared to be traveling at the same speed. But after the gear change at 80 mph to 3rd gear, it was very obvious that the Aventador was accelerating faster than the Tesla, and the Tesla couldn’t keep up anymore.” more  

Homeless man given $100 - see what happens

Despite the Abbott doctrine that poverty is your fault and the result of poor decisions, this is not the case for a huge number of people who find themselves in poverty. 

Watch as a homeless man is given $100 and blows the homeless/poverty stereotype right out the window.

 

Forget the media hype - the world is getting safer

The pollies introducing new draconian laws for Terror! Terror! are constantly saying that these are dangerous times, more dangerous than ever. Indeed Abbott is trying to convince us that a Terror! strike is "likely" in Australia. Not that it's got anything to do with his barnacled canoe sinking or anything...

The truth is actually not so. In fact the world is getting safer than it's been for zonks. So why the panic? Why the fear mongering? Apparently we're supposed to all live in fear and worship our gov for keeping us "safe" FFS.

 more

 

Hello Czech Republic :)

I dunno if it's been on the top ten views for the last week before, but if it hasn't it's certainly making a splash. Straight in to number three, putting the homeland down to 4th. Forgive me Europe but I don't have much of an idea about the geography over there, so many countries in such a little space. So I had to look up where it was.

I often wonder why there's comparatively few Australian readers. That's just how it's worked out.

So hello to the Czech Republic from Sydney :)  Dunno why you're reading but I promise to keep raving like a lunatic.

  

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day - Pastafarian christmas :)

Well I'm a bit late as it's on Sept 19th, but still being christmas day and as it's the equivalent of that, why the fuck not? Religions often make it up as they go along.

Talk Like A Pirate Day, September 19th is the most blessed of all days, equivalent to Christians' "Christmas", But better. This is the day where the Flying Spaghetti Monster blesses all because they talk like pirates, be they followers of the FSM or not. Obviously, to not talk like a pirate incurs horrific penalties....Wiki-alert

So in light of that (particularly the hallowed pic in lights above) I pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster that all who talk like pirates today will be touched by a number of his noodly appendages. Aye captain.....

Morrison appointed to social services - welfare people's reaction!

Terror! Terror! - Abbott reminds country of terror!

So his barnacle ridden boat is sinking big time, with the last polls of the year confirming that his gov is in it's worst shape since taking office. I guess this must be part of the resetting the deck chairs? Anyway, he's gone back to the Terror thing again. Didn't work for him last time.

BTW, it's the height of stupidity to link the Sydney siege to terrorists. He was a single man with no connections to any terrorist organisation. Yet look at the report linking just that. 

 

"Stop the bludgers!" - Daily Terrorgraph :s

Good grief   

 

Kangaroo punches drone out of sky - video :)

Ha ha ha ha...... Bloody great this. You see the parent and the toddler kangaroo, suddenly it's like, WTF is this thing? Piss off! *clobbers*

 

Understanding Robin Williams suicide death

Although it's the festive season, such festivities can often mean the reverse for some. The expectation to be happy, to think of family, can simply highlight the depression and sadness one is going through. The holiday season therefore can be a particularly difficult time even though everyone is well wishing.

I've been struggling with suicide since the mental collapse in 2009. In that year my best friend killed herself, my daughter took me to court, and I was diagnosed with HIV all in the course of a about a month. Not long after that I had some kind of a mental break where I couldn't remember an entire half day; the diagnosis was that it was likely the emotional pain I was feeling was so bad that it became a traumatic event (like a car crash or something) and hence the memory loss. Following that day I went into an intense 6 month struggle with the pain monster and the instinct to survive. It was only through support services that I survived those months. Things have never been the same since. The struggle continues to today.

At times I talk about the struggle with the odd friend. At times I'm surprised at the complete ignorance surrounding the subject. Recently a friend said it was "a coward's way out", and an act of selfishness, not considering the effects the death would have on the loved one's left behind. Being as I've had such a long experience with suicidal thoughts and in some cases attempts, I know from my own experience this just isn't the case.

I spoke about this to my psychologist the other day, saying how it just wasn't like that. He laughed about the "coward" thing, and I mentioned how when you're like that you just aren't thinking of other people; it's all about the pain and how you can't deal with it or stop it. The pain monster overtakes you. Nobody wants to kill themselves or hurt the one's they love, but at the same time if the pain is too much to deal with then to end your life can appear to be the only way to stop it. In such cases, overcoming the instinct to survive is hardly "cowardly". 

How many people for example can imagine (as I myself have done in the past) such a thing as a "hesitation wound"? Death by a knife at one's own hand isn't as simple as it sounds. You don't just sit there, chop, then it's all over. I found out long after the event what a hesitation wound is:

Hesitation, or tentative, wounds are defined either as: any cut or wound that is self-inflicted after a decision is made not to commit suicide, or any tentative cut or wound that is made before the final cut that causes death. Such wounds are usually superficial, sharp, forced skin cuts found on the body of victims. These less severe cutting marks are often caused by attempts to build up courage before attempting the final, fatal wound. Non-fatal, shallow hesitation wounds can also accompany the deeper, sometimes fatal incisions. Although hesitation cuts are not always present in cases of suicide, they are typical of suicidal injuries. However, the presence of hesitation marks alongside or near to the final fatal mark usually indicates a forensic diagnosis of suicide over other possible causes of death.

Hesitation wounds are generally straight-line marks at the elbows, neck/throat, and wrists, although in a few cases they occur in the general area of the upper middle part of the abdomen (near the heart). Wounds made by people attempting suicide are typically made at an angle related to the hand that holds the weapon. The angle of such hesitation wounds is usually in a downward flowing direction because of the natural motion of the arm as it sweeps across the body. Hesitation wounds are often made under clothing, with particular parts of the clothing being parted to expose the target area of the body, a common feature seen by forensic experts examining suicidal wounds. Instruments used to inflict hesitation wounds are generally those found around the living quarters of the person attempting suicide. Such instruments include kitchen knives, single-edge and double-edge knifes, pocket knives, hatchets, razor blades, screwdrivers, and other sharp objects. People who have previously attempted suicide, but have not succeeded in their endeavor, will often carry visible scars from hesitation wounds. more

So in light of this I was so moved by the understanding shown in this piece about Robin Williams. I had tears reading some of it. The depth of knowledge involved is heartwarming, to know that there are people who understand. You have to have such knowledge to relate to people struggling with suicide. To not understand is to contribute to that person's feelings of alienation and pain. Getting angry at them after a failed attempt or accusing them of being a coward is incredibly unhelpful to them.     

But I felt compelled to write this article because like any mental illness-related accident or death, there by the grace of God go I. And it’s not only in poor taste to deride a man who by all accounts, was going though severe depression at the time of his death, it’s also just plain wrong. Suicide isn’t “giving up” or “giving in.” Suicide is a terrible decision made by someone whose pain is so great that they can no longer hold it, and feel they have no other option in life but to end it. It’s a decision you can’t take back, and a decision that will affect your friends and family forever. It is not taken lightly.

Losing a person to suicide may feel like a waste. And I think it’s fair to react to it that way, especially in the first hard days of grief. For someone looking in, it does seem like a waste—especially in the case of Williams, who was a brilliantly funny man and a talented actor. But imagine, if you will, feeling so desperate, so desolate, so incredibly sad and hurt that you honestly cannot see a way out. The feelings leading to suicide are the darkest a human mind can fathom. It’s like being shut into a dark tunnel with no point of light to guide your way. You can hear voices on the outside, but the walls are too thick to get in. And feeling like it’s closing in, like there’s no way out—well, suicide, for that person, is a blessed release. Life, however, is never wasted. Williams did things in his life that touched people to their core. It is a sad, sad loss, but it is not a waste.

Suicide is not a weak decision. It is a decision that takes an incredible amount of strength to make, actually. Someone isn’t weak if they end their life. They are desperate. There is a difference. It’s okay to feel angry at the person for dying. It’s okay to question, to rail against the forces that caused this. But it isn’t weakness. Mental illness isn’t weakness. It’s a disease, a pervasive, sometimes awful disease. The person doesn’t deserve anger and skepticism forever. They deserve compassion. Their family deserves compassion. more  

Goodbye Robin Williams..... 

US views drop off after my anti-gun raves

Nothing I've said about guns and the US criticism of Australian gun laws has been any more than factual and shock from an Australian being preached to by the US about our gun laws. I have done nothing more than point out the facts, at times supported by video's and news articles from the US itself. It seems the US doesn't like it and a few of them have stopped reading, for whatever reason. Although I must say WTF is going on with France? Old enemies?

Oh well. I've never cared about who does or doesn't read the blog. I'm a raving lunatic on here half the time. Whatever. I just think it's really sad that a country that's blowing it's own population away with it's own guns and then not listening to criticisms of it is bloody pathetic. Like I've always said, if you don't like the blog don't read it. 

Surprise! More Guns Means More Death - US lawyer

Perhaps our idiot senator Levonhjelm could have a talk with this bloke before he mouths off about how safe it is in Texas for guns.

Grove Guerilla Edition - Dear Santa, Bring Me A Man :)

I love this song. Posted it the other day, but this is the fun version :)

 

CFMEU Royal Commission Dec 2014 - CFMEU video

This is what we're not hearing from the media:

 

Greens call for tighter gun laws - Leyonhjelm says Texas is safer :s

No doubt Australia's gun lobby will chuck a fit at the mere suggestion of tighter gun control, and we've already had that maniac senator in Canberra calling Australia "a nation of victims" FFS. Abbott however has already announced a review of our gun laws. Let's hope he has the same determination and guts as Howard did (not holding my breath) when Howard addressed gun maniacs in Australia wearing a bullet proof vest.

Following conflicting reports that the perpetrator of the Sydney Siege may have had a licensed firearm, Acting Greens Leader Adam Bandt said the Prime Minister is right to launch a review into the adequacy of our gun laws but the review must avoid becoming an excuse to attack refugees.

"The Greens have been saying for a long time that our gun laws need to be stronger. The tragic events in Sydney earlier this week only strengthens the case for better gun control," said Mr Bandt.

"This review must provide us with clear answers to how someone who had mental health issues and was charged with accessory to murder got hold of a gun."

"In the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, John Howard did the right thing and tightened the country's gun laws. Tony Abbott must learn from his political mentor and take the review as an opportunity to strengthen our gun laws."

"We are concerned that Mr Abbott's review may be used to justify further attacks on asylum seekers rather than restricting the availability of guns in our community."

"No doubt the gun lobby will try and argue that Australia needs weaker gun laws. In Victoria, we have already had the appalling spectacle of a newly elected upper house MP saying the events in Sydney showed that gun laws need to be weakened, and now Senator Leyonhjelm has said that this wouldn't have happened in Texas." link

Honestly, how in the fuck could an Australian senator in any way compare us with US gun laws and ownership? It's nonsensical. The stats say it all. 

BTW, this is what happens in Texas. Senator Leyonhjelm doesn't have the faintest idea WTF he's talking about:

The deadliest mass shootings in Texas history 

At least 27 people, including 20 children, were killed in a Connecticut elementary school massacre Friday. Texas has been the site of some of the deadliest mass shootings of the past 50 years — but none as deadly as the Newtown murders. Here is a list of the worst mass shootings in Texas history:

1. Oct. 16, 1991: A deadly shooting rampage took place in Killeen, Texas, as George Hennard opened fire at a Luby’s Cafeteria, killing 23 people before taking his own life. 20 others were wounded in the attack.

2 .Aug. 1, 1966: Charles Whitman opened fire from the clock tower at the University of Texas at Austin, killing 16 people and wounding 31.

3. Nov. 5, 2009: Thirteen soldiers and civilians were killed and more than two dozen wounded when a gunman walked into the Soldier Readiness Processing Center at Fort Hood, Texas, and opened fire. Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder.

4. Sept. 15, 1999: Seven people were killed and seven others injured when a gunman opened fire inside a crowded chapel at Fort Worth’s Wedgewood Baptist Church. Some worshipers believed that Larry Gene Ashbrook was pulling a prank and continued singing after the shooting began. The murderer killed himself. link  

"Cannonball" - newly diagnosed HIV+ video

How many gays are in a closed relationship?

The answer will surprise you. My last relationship with Simon was open, looks like I was well and truly in the minority there:

So much for the gay stereotype of being debached sexual maniacs.... 

US military guns sold in Walmart US

More gun "safe" crap from the US. Yes, you can buy guns with the same specks as the US military in Walmart.

 

Abbott rearranges the deck chairs

Carbon tax repeal biggest accomplishment for women - Abbott

OMG. I dunno where to start with this. There's so many angles. So many lies. So much sexism. 

Abbott has declared the removal of the carbon tax as his gov's biggest accomplishment for women in 2014. One would ask, mystified, as to what form of mental and linguistic gymnastics he uses to reach such a conclusion? Don't worry, it all becomes clear in his statement:

During a Monday morning interview on the Today Show to promote his cabinet reshuffle, Mr Abbott was asked by host Lisa Wilkinson to nominate his top achievement in his capacity as Minister for Women. 

"Well, you know, it is very important to do the right thing by families and households," Mr Abbott replied. "As many of us know, women are particularly focused on the household budget and the repeal of the carbon tax means a $550 a year benefit for the average family." more

Bloody hell man. For a start there's no way in hell that the carbon tax repeal will deliver anything like that figure back into household pockets. But that doesn't deter Tone. Just keeps on saying it and someone is gonna believe it, although those someone's are a rapidly dwindling number. 

But more importantly it shows what Abbott, the minister for women, actually thinks of women. In Abbott's world the bloke hands all his money to the shella who wields the purse strings with a rod of iron. She stays at home, cooks and cleans, whilst the bloke goes out breadwinning and getting pissed after work at the pub.

Such a set up may well have been the case decades ago, but it's rather rare to find that situation in modern Australia today. How many people can survive on one income for a start? And how many men these days just hand all their hard earned cash over to the missus? How many men would be willing to surrender everything like that today?

Abbott has managed to insult the entire population of Australia in one short paragraph. 

 

"Open Carry" - US nutters with guns

Dead set. Look at how "safe" it is in the US with all those guns....  Just a few pics from Google.