Barnyard Joyce flounders over $50k donation from Gina Rinehart

Barnyard at "arms length" from Gina XXX

Our illustrious acting Prime Minister Barnyard Joyce, from the barely relevant National Party (what percentage of votes did they get in the election to have Barnyard now as acting PM?) has been grilled in an ABC interview about his party getting a $50 donation from mining magnate Gina Rinehart.

This at a time when the Lieberals are throwing Molotov cocktails from their glass house at the Labor party and Senator Sam Dastyari taking an under $2,000 donation from Chinese.

He claims that he is at "arms length" from political donations to his party. Does the picture above look like arms length?

LEIGH SALES: Why I keep labouring this is because I think that it's the sort of question people at home want explained. 

BARNABY JOYCE: Yeah, sure. 

LEIGH SALES: When somebody gives money to a political party, whether that money is spent on campaigning or whatever, they presumably give it because they want something in return, they're not just giving it for fun? 

BARNABY JOYCE: Well, like there's individuals who give money to political campaigns, they give it to a political party. It is auditable. There is an arm's length between the individual and that person, via the political party. The political, if you want to test it, I have been fighting against the unrestricted movement of mines on to farmlands for as long as we've been talking to one another. That has never changed, it has never changed lately. It's never changed in recent time. ABC  

Straight men kiss gay men to see how it feels - video

The guy on the right is straight

In this video, straight men french kiss gay men for the first time. 

The sky did not fall. It was not the end of civilisation. The straight men did not turn gay.

It looked enjoyable for both parties, and the post kiss comments by the men are very interesting :)

 

The ACCC is taking submissions about our fucked up internet! - Hooray!

Oh man did I ever have a field day with this!

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is now at this very time taking submissions from anybody about our fucked up Lieberal internet. It's taken me a while but I think I actually succeeded in relieving myself of just a little bit of the internet rage that has slowly been increasing over the last year or so. 

Question one was a doozy folks, so I posted it below:

You can make your angry raving pissed off as fuck submission here.

Go ahead darlings! It's extremely therapeutic :) 

I'm a pensioner on the DSP and am a heavy internet user. The PC is the hub of my life as it enables me to engage in the world despite being extremely short on money paying private Sydney rent. I run a blog that's been going for years now about my life, which I use to let of steam helping me immensely in my mental health issues.
https://lifewithhiv-peter.blogspot.com.au

Lately, although I live in eastern Sydney (Kingsford) and have unlimited ADSL2+, at times the internet simply gets overloaded somehow (I've read it's with streaming media) and I can't connect to my own blog to post. Extremely frustrating to say the least. The internet speed itself doesn't seem too bad for what it is, often at 15Mbps, so it must be to do with the bandwidth.

Another example was the last two days trying to purchase online from Just Jeans. I get the same thing from them every time, have the size I need and all, so there's no point in me actually attending a store. After receiving money from super under financial hardship, I wanted to buy some pants without holes in them. Quickly finding what I wanted online over the weekend, I got together the money in my account yesterday (Mon) and was ready to go.

The site wouldn't connect. Despite clicking every kind of link I could find through Google, and even looking up the local store and clicking their link, it still wouldn't connect. All day and late in the evening. I tried again today and still no luck, however upon seeing an email I'd sent to myself of what I wanted to buy it connected finally through that. Eventually with some hickups I was able to complete the transaction.

This shows that the Australian internet is almost becoming unusable at time, even in Eastern Sydney. How can a business do business when it's site doesn't work? It's not only that, there's various aspects of the net that go unconnectable in the evenings. YouTube, Facebook, Blogger, even Google itself I couldn't connect for a simple search once. Even in normal times midday or so, US CBS or US local videos take so long to load, or stop and start so much, that they're simply unwatchable.

My partner David is getting started back at Uni to further himself, and he relies completely on the internet for that. Any connectability issues will affect him even more directly than me.

Religious addiction more dangerous than drugs

I can certainly relate to the idea that, at least in the fundamentalist maniac world of religion, it can become an addiction exhibiting all the extremism of of a drug addled mind. Constantly seeking the next hit; the next dose of euphoria that convinces them again they're on the "right" path. The next dose of family and belonging, of singing and superiority over everyone else not part of this experience.

I am of course speaking from experience. Long time readers of this blog will know that I was a member of the United Pentecostal Church for 5 years and became a licenced minister in New Zealand after getting a bachelor's degree in theology. They got me when I was young and vulnerable, after staggering away from a debilitating upbringing in a completely dysfunctional family. 

The church provided a new family that were at least less dysfunctional than mine :s Along with feelings of belonging and again, I guess superiority over all those around us that weren't a part of our god experience. Church services seemed I guess more a place to get high on religion than to get thoughtful insights into being a christian. In fact much was made of the bible passage about people speaking in tongues and others thinking they were drunk, but if was fine to "get drunk on the lord".

“There’s the ubiquitous mood lighting so that you can only see what’s meant to be seen… Loud music ensures you hear only what is meant to be heard… Several high-energy warm-up acts make you feel only what you’re supposed to feel… By the time the featured attraction steps on stage… you’re so amped up you’ll hand over your body, soul, and wallet. It doesn’t even occur to you that this might be destructive, because feeling elated is the desired outcome.” The Influence

I left the religion, cold turkey, not long after becoming a minister. Away from the intensity of theological study in the US in the class of 1983, back in New Zealand I regained my sensibilities and realised that I was actually in some sort of lunatic cult. 

Perhaps leaving cold turkey helped me personally as although I've been involved in drug taking I never had a big problem stopping them. Was it because I'd already had experience with addiction? Albeit religious? 

I can only compare the sort of religious experience I had, to drugs, as being extremely similar. I remember sitting waiting in a car once, off my head on Ice and feeling mindbogglingly fantastic in the moment. When going around in the car soon after the guy I was with and I were almost incredulous as we looked around at people, saying things like "don't they know what they're missing?" or "the poor things lost in their boring world" sort of thing. 

We were there, we were happening, we were having the experience and the thoughts, we were better than the boring ones (poor dears) because we had some sort of "truth". Much the same way as the fundamentalists think of themselves in the experiences of euphoria in a church service.

I stopped taking Ice ages ago, with little problems. Don't even like the thought of it now, or how it might make me feel. As religion does, Ice gives you a very warped sense of the world and life; a non-reality. 

At the time it provided an escape from my reality and I knew that, perhaps from being addicted to religion? In some sense that escape may well have saved my life, who knows? Would I have taken my life presented with reality back then with no escape from it? 

Think I knew what I was doing and just wanted a break for a while. Unlike religion where it's supposed to be about eternity. Perhaps religious extremism is even more dangerous than drug addiction in that sense. 

Can you really become addicted to religion? Well, the risk of any activity or substance becoming an addiction depends in part on the characteristics of the substance or activity, and in part—some experts believe most significantly—on the characteristics of the situation and user. 

For even the most intense pleasures—those that tend to create the highest rates of compulsion—most users retain their capacity for autonomy and balance. Most people can ingest a pleasurable neurotoxin like alcohol or even cocaine in moderation, for example, while others find themselves drawn inexorably toward self-destruction. The same can be said about pleasurable activities like sex or gambling. And the same is logically true of religiously-induced pleasures—including intense feelings of euphoria, transcendence, hope, joy, absolution, security, immortality, certitude, purity, purpose, belonging, or superiority. 

Chris Scott, a former devout Bible-believer from Phoenix, notes how the euphoric feelings spurred by religion have the potential for poor outcomes. Scott says that his experience was “most definitely” like an addiction. “The best definition of addiction that I’ve ever heard,” he says, “is anything that provides a mood-altering experience but has adjoining negative consequences, and yet the behavior is continued anyways.” The Influence

 

Had a terrible day yesterday

Cat's are very soothing :)

Far out. Don't want another day like that in a hurry.

Woke up aching all over, but it seemed to be coming mostly from my back and radiating from there. Got up and sat in a chair for a bit, but it kept hurting more and more. Back hurting top to bottom, shoulders and neck, and the pain going down my arms. Even the thighs were sore. 

Of course eventually there came the change in breathing, shortness of breath, anxiety and panic. I've seemed to be having a few panic attacks like this lately, which all seem to have started from severe back pain. Hands went a bit numb, and then feeling like I was going to pass out. Could barely get back to bed and just layed there trying to think of something pleasant.

Luckily Natasha the 14 year old cat was luxuriating on the bed next to me, which was very pleasant :)

Later on after calming down somewhat, tried getting up again and sitting in a chair. Same thing happened, only worse the second time. Took a while to settle after just getting to the bed. Nearly told David it might be time for an ambulance I felt so bad, however eventually equilibrium returned.

Later on tried a third time and thankfully was OK enough to sit and watch telly for a bit. Felt tired from the experience though. We just watched a couple of movies quietly for the rest of the afternoon and evening, had a nice meal (home cooked of course) and went back to bed. 

Juno's 1st Jupiter orbit - video

Jupiter's south pole as sent from Juno (*click to enlarge)

As Spock would say, "fascinating"...

The spacecraft Juno has orbited Jupiter for the first time, sending back images and sound. 

For the non Star Trek types, Jupiter is our solar system's giant, 2.5 times bigger than all the other planets combined, or the equivalent mass of 318 earths. It's got a huge atmosphere, with the big red spot being a raging storm of over 300yrs. It's gravity is 2.5 times more than Earth's.

Juno is the bestest everest spaceship from earth to go there and study it.

  

EU finds Apple tax dodging arrangements illegal - demands 13billion back taxes

In what is gaining world attention as a precedent case, the European Commission has found that the tax avoidance arrangements Apple has with Ireland are illegal under EU rules. They say that Apple should pay back around 13billion Euros. Not a small sum.

The European Commission has concluded that Ireland granted undue tax benefits of up to €13 billion. This is illegal under EU state aid rules, as it allowed Apple to pay substantially less tax than other businesses.

Following an in-depth state aid investigation launched in June 2014, the European Commission has concluded that two tax rulings issued by Ireland to Apple have substantially and artificially lowered the tax paid by Apple in Ireland since 1991.

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "Member States cannot give tax benefits to selected companies – this is illegal under EU state aid rules. The Commission's investigation concluded that Ireland granted illegal tax benefits to Apple, which enabled it to pay substantially less tax than other businesses over many years. In fact, this selective treatment allowed Apple to pay an effective corporate tax rate of 1 per cent on its European profits in 2003 down to 0.005 per cent in 2014."

Ireland must now recover the illegal aid. European Commission

US people against tax evasion such as this have applauded the EU's findings, saying that Apple may well also owe the US people up to $60billion. Also not a small sum. In fact a staggering sum, giving some indication of the level of multi-national tax evasion presently occurring. 

“We strongly applaud the European Commission for bringing this state-aid case against Ireland. Ireland’s secret tax deals with Apple enabled the corporation to dodge many billions of dollars owed on its worldwide operations—money owed to taxpayers both in the U.S. and in countries across Europe. 

“Apple has more than $215 billion in profits stashed offshore on which it has paid less than a 5% tax rate. Most of these profits are in tax havens, mainly Ireland, which is why Apple could owe the American people more than $60 billion in taxes. Apple owes taxes to European governments on the portion of these offshore profits that were legitimately earned in Europe. Apple will get credit against its U.S. taxes for any additional taxes it pays Ireland as a result of this E.C. enforcement action. Americans for Tax Fairness

Sum Of Us has a world petition going where you can demand Apple cough up the dough here. 

Strong action against tax havens will never be taken by officials who use them #auspol https://t.co/NyTJxPW99G pic.twitter.com/ceerzIezdU

— Wayne Swan (@SwannyQLD) September 2, 2016

 

Aust's lowest unemployment benefit in the OECD a barrier to work

*Update: Peter Martin: Cutting Newstart was a mistake. The government should own up, and move on. Sydney Morning Herald 

As I mentioned in a post yesterday, anyone who thinks that going on Newstart (or any welfare benefit for that matter) is some kind of lifestyle choice is just wrong. Who would chose to put themselves in such a position of impossible struggle as Newstart is? 

Now that the gov wants to cut it further, again, we're talking real abject poverty. The kind of poverty where there's little chance of escape. Indeed the comments in the video say as much, that having Newstart on such a punishable level is a barrier to employment, not an incentive. In fact as the comments say, European countries that have higher dole levels have more people successfully finding work again.

Australia has the lowest unemployment benefit in the OECD, and now the gov wants to cut it more. Whatever one's political persuasion, is this really the sort of poverty we want to see in Australia?

Generous benefits doesn't keep people unemployed @MichaelMarmot. @cassandragoldie says increase payments #QandA https://t.co/0n5TSpRj5P

— ABC Q&A (@QandA) August 29, 2016

 

Keeping focus on life - coping with pain

The tax return finally came through belatedly from the tax office (hooray!) after I officially complained. The complaints people at the ATO are absolutely excellent. I had the money in only 4 days after first ringing them to lodge the complaint. They said it was because of me being bankrupt that it took so long as it was "escalated", and next year to ring complaints much earlier to hurry it along.

So we went and had a few drinks at the pub yesterday afternoon. What an amazing feeling to sit in a pub and not have to worry and count every dollar spent.

I did have a bit of difficulty however. Have been having problems with back pain again, very bad for me as when it starts hurting much more than usual I get anxiety about it which can lead to panic attacks. Lovely :s So I'm sitting in the bar chair and my back starts hurting more and more, over about an hour or so it got to a very intense pain all over it. Ugh. David noticed my catatonic state and the tears in my eyes from it, asked me if I was tired, I mumbled some sort of yes thing...

Thing is though I know from experience and the counseling I got when looking after my late wife over her years of illness. It's not a matter of just snapping out of it so to speak, but a matter of choice. 

I could continue to sit there focused on how much my back was hurting, in so drawing David's attention to my state, and thereby making the whole outing about me and my pain.

Or I could focus as directed by the counselor years before, on the time out with David and enjoying myself (and ourselves) in a well deserved break from the monotony of poverty and illness. Thereby making the outing about both of us, our surroundings, and all the pleasantness that such things attract.

A strange thing happened. My back pain subsided, I think due to simply me focusing differently. We had the most pleasant time extending into the evening. What could have been depressing and miserable became uplifting and enjoyable, simply by changing my focus :)

9 welfare groups sign open letter to gov against welfare cuts - "unconscionable"

This is wrong on both moral and economic grounds.

Morally it's wrong to cut what is already a pittance, especially when tax cuts are being given to people who just don't need them. To illustrate the point, my partnered Disability Support Pension last financial year was around $16,500. This gov wants to cut money from that? How are people supposed to survive? 

Yet this is more than Newstarve. Yet still the gov wants to cut money from Newstart. We're talking real poverty here, abject poverty with no escape. Nobody wants to be on Newstart in such a diabolical struggle to get by (any more in fact than someone wants to have such poor health as to pass the diabolical tests to qualify for the DSP). Any notion that it's some kind of career choice is absolutely wrong. To punish people for their unfortunate circumstance is, again, morally wrong.

Economically it's wrong. Not just the simple fact that it's impossible to survive already on Newstart, or that people in my position face a big struggle financially when in said unfortunate circumstances, but it's wrong economically for the economy. The gov says it will save $1.3billion over 4 years. By taking the money from the poor that will be exactly $1.3billion ripped directly out of the economy and unlikely to be replaced by tax cuts for the well off.

It's not rocket science. We spend every last cent we get, whereas tax cuts for people that don't need it will likely mean the money will simply sit in the bank.

As Dr Goldie raised with you when you met with ACOSS in January, an increase to Newstart to support people locked out of paid work is the single most immediate and effective measure needed to reduce the level of poverty and inequality in Australia. 

At the same time, your Government, however, proposes to retain tax concessions as part of the carbon price compensation which benefit every income earner, including those on the highest incomes. It also plans to cut taxes for companies and people on higher incomes over $80,000 per year. These tax cuts will cost the budget over $9 billion over the forward estimates. 

This approach to reducing the Budget deficit is unconscionable. Australia cannot afford such tax cuts when the Government is moving to cut the incomes of people struggling to survive on the lowest incomes in Australia, and living in poverty. It will also have a contractionary effect on the economy, with people on lower incomes being the ones who spend every cent they receive in the economy. 

As organisations representing people who rely on social security payments, we urge you to withdraw this proposal to remove the Energy Supplement which will plunge people further below the poverty line. Whatever its original purpose, this is money that people in poverty need every fortnight for their most basic living costs, as well as those of their children. ACOSS pdf open letter

Gov losses 3 votes in a row for 1st time in 54yrs - ministers left early

Dopey Dutton, one of three front bench ministers who left parliament early

The Turnbull gov is finding out the hard way just how hard it is to run a gov with a razor thin majority of one. You need everyone there in case a vote is needed.

Unbelievably, three front bench ministers left parliament early. Even more unbelievably, they considered this a normal type thing to do. 

It's certainly not normal in the real world. Try leaving early when you're on a factory floor and see how far you get. 

Now the gov is accusing Labor of dirty tricks. Oh the humanity of having to stay the whole time required! 

How embarrassing. This lot couldn't organise a chook raffle. 

Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has let rip on three senior ministers who left parliament before debate ended on Thursday afternoon, which saw the government lose three votes in row in the lower house for first time in 54 years. 

The last time it happened was when Sir Robert Menzies had a one-seat majority in 1962. 

Bill Shorten's Opposition ambushed the government just as parliament was about to adjourn after the first sitting week of the new government, seizing control as it attempted to pass a motion for a royal commission into the banking industry. 

It was an embarrassing tactical blunder for the new Turnbull government just three days into the new parliamentary term, calling into question the PM's claim that he has a "stable" majority. 

This morning on Melbourne's 3AW, Turnbull did not hold back in tearing shreds off the three senior ministers missing as the votes were taken, saying they were complacent and he'd read them the "riot act". 

Justice minister Michael Keenan had flown to Melbourne, immigration minister Peter Dutton was doing a radio interview and Western Australian social services minister Christian Porter had also gone, along with several backbenchers. ninemsn  

Lambie says Bernadi is like an "angry prostitute" - video :)

Corgi Bernadi with Pauline Pantsdown

Well at least she didn't call him an angry white male :)

What's more, she then apologises to prostitutes for comparing them to Bernadi. Brilliant!

Here's the video of @JacquiLambie 1-2 savaging of Bernardi by comparing him to an "angry prostitute"... pic.twitter.com/5x9tPVO7Js

— Mark:Di-Stefano (@MarkDiStef) September 1, 2016

 

The damage from a plebiscite to the LGBT - The Greens (video)

Senator Rice paints a picture of life with a plebiscite and lays out why the Greens have decided to oppose it. She says she can't fulfill her obligations to support the LGBT is she supports it.

She also says that it's no exaggeration to say it could cost lives.

 

Christian rector claims persecution for opposing marriage equality - confronts Shorten

An Anglican Rector has confronted opposition leader Bill Shorten as he left the church service marking the opening of the new parliament. During the confrontation he accused Shorten of being intolerant of people who disagreed with marriage equality and using brutal language of those who did so. Shorten claimed he was being misquoted.

The video of it is here at the ABC. 

Hmmmmm. Intolerant? The mind boggles. The poor persecuted precious christian. How about being accused of being a Nazi, or a paodophile, or an inferior parent than straights, or a slippery slope to bestiality, or engaging in behaviour as dangerous as smoking, and on and on... Or, as the Rector himself has said, linking marriage equality to polygamy?

The rector was referring to comments Mr Shorten made in a debate during the election campaign. 

During the exchange with the Prime Minister in June, Mr Shorten made reference to the Orlando shootings and raised concerns about how the debate over same-sex marriage could be inflamed in Australia. 

"I don't believe that people's relationships and love for each other need to be submitted to a public opinion poll. And I think we've seen two terrible events in the last week which show that hate and extremism does exist in modern societies," he said. 

"I don't want to give the haters a chance to come out from underneath the rock and make life harder for LGBTI people." ABC   

The Rector is complaining about that? *sheesh* 

Angry white men against racial discrimination law - Canberra

The oppressed white people of Canberra

Is the club growing in Canberra? Bitter angry middle aged white Catholic men in Canberra, apparently not satisfied with stymieing any attempts at the LGBT getting married, have banded together for another cause. 

Yes folks, they claim they're discriminated against by the anti-discrimination laws in Australia. The poor precious oppressed dears are fighting for their right to insult people of other races.

 

It's your first day in the senate, why not have a cheeky kip. As if anyone's going to notice .. @HumanHeadline pic.twitter.com/aMgoGnhKkJ

— Michael Scanlan (@MScanlan7) August 30, 2016

 

#Auspol Don't let @corybernardi put another brick in his wall. Protect #18c pic.twitter.com/GvS6gaYMyE

— Fr Rod Bower (@FrBower) August 31, 2016

 

Perhaps I should've said angry and confused white men :)