364 thoughts on “Lets have a Friday Raffle”

  5. Wonderful! If only she had sad it half an hour earlier.

  6. Brian Cox is awesome!

    Meh… He may appeal to the younger generations, but he’s no David Attenborough (or Harry Butler, or Les Hiddens, or etc. etc.)

    Looking “hip” and going “whoa” to stuff is a job for Keanu Reeves.

  7. A real blast grim a grim past. She seems sharp as a tack despite her age.

    Joseph Goebbels’ 105-year-old secretary: ‘No one believes me now, but I knew nothing’

    Pomsel is giving one of the first, and last, in-depth interviews of her life; at the age of 105, and having lost her sight last year, she says she is relieved that her days are numbered. “In the little time that’s left to me – and I hope it will be months rather than years – I just cling to the hope that the world doesn’t turn upside down again as it did then, though there have been some ghastly developments, haven’t there

    …………Those people nowadays who say they would have stood up against the Nazis – I believe they are sincere in meaning that, but believe me, most of them wouldn’t have.” ………………………….. “I could open myself up to the accusations that I wasn’t interested in politics but the truth is, the idealism of youth might easily have led to you having your neck broken.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/15/brunhilde-pomsel-nazi-joseph-goebbels-propaganda-machine

    • “how his nails were always neatly manicured.”

      How could he have such nails with blood on his hands … I don’t believe the centenarian is totally sincere but then we on this part of the world know very little about Border Force and what happens on the ocean.

    • Yes and when the full horror of what WE did to innocent people at Manus, Nauru etc comes to light people will say the same thing as her.

      “We knew nothing, it was all kept well secret.”

    • We are generally a bit more informed these days. But we’ll probably end up saying that we knew close to nothing. It should not be the case really. We must find out now but how?

  8. Good morning Dawn Patrollers. Plenty to trawl through this morning!

    Michelle Grattan rightfully gets stuck into Abbott over the effects of his hyper-partisan effort over the Malaysian solution.
    https://theconversation.com/if-abbott-hadnt-been-hyper-partisan-on-malaysia-people-swap-turnbull-mightnt-have-a-nauru-problem-63920
    Andrew Bolt descends into being a “good guy”.
    http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/andrew-bolt-demands-explanation-from-rude-antiislam-church-protestor-nick-folkes-20160815-gqt4vb.html
    And Waleed Aly took the same man to task as well.
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/entertainment/tv/2016/08/15/waleed-aly-anti-muslim-project/
    Sow and ye shall reap Pauline!
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/aussie-farmers-direct-moves-into-pantry-items-and-household-goods-20160815-gqstbe.html
    Michael West on how ASIC is close to privatising its corporate database. How can this possibly be in the public interest?
    http://www.michaelwest.com.au/asic-plot/
    Andrew Street listens in to the planning session for the raid on the Gosford church.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/view-from-the-street/how-the-party-for-freedom-may-have-planned-operation-pretty-dress-up-20160815-gqsrq6.html
    A deep threat of racism runs though the Republicans straight to Trump.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/flailing-republicans-had-no-defence-against-donald-trump-20160815-gqsuiq.html
    The LA Times says Trump should be let nowhere near the nuclear weapons codes.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/memo-donald-trump-the-very-point-of-nuclear-weapons-is-that-they-are-never-used-20160812-gqqysb.html
    The Australian tells us that security experts have found major failings of IBM in the census collapse. Google.
    /national-affairs/security-officials-find-ibm-failings-in-census-collapse/news-story/acb1f2a36e7e715bd2cfdf750b113ea7
    And now Trump wants to introduce EXTREME vetting for immigrants.
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/15/donald-trump-immigration-test-isis-islamic-state-foreign-policy
    The nine stages of a Trump statement.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2016/08/15/the-9-stages-of-a-trump-statement/?utm_hp_ref=au-homepage

  9. Section 2 . . .

    Angry white men say “angry white male” is racial vilification. FFS! I thought it was a demographic.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/15/eric-abetz-says-the-phrase-angry-white-man-is-racial-vilification
    And here’s why they will lose the case.
    https://newmatilda.com/2016/08/16/why-ridiculously-stupid-white-man-david-leyonhjelm-will-lose-his-18c-racial-discrimination-case/
    Tim Dick says Abbott is wrong. Australia is not the best country in the world.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tony-abbott-is-wrong-australia-isnt-the-best-country-in-the-world-20160813-gqrrg8.html
    Everyone’s favourite MP George Christensen is cleared of electoral bribery charges.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2016/george-christensen-cleared-of-electoral-bribery-allegations-20160815-gqstnw.html
    Tony Shepherd comes up with an interesting suggestion – tie MPs’ income to Australia’s credit rating (read spending reduction). Then again he would suggest that wouldn’t he!
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/cut-politicians-pay-if-they-dont-keep-our-aaa-credit-rating-20160813-gqrsbo.html
    So much for the “dairy rescue” touted by the government before the election.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/15/one-concessional-loan-coalition-dairy-rescue-package-approved-murray-gouburn
    Who would have thought this would happen in NSW?
    http://www.smh.com.au/environment/energy-smart/triple-trouble-big-three-electricity-retailers-charging-twice-the-rate-of-act-20160815-gqsn2i.html
    The CA Royal Commission says it is “considering” holding a public hearing into the treatment of children in detention centres. Dutton will like that!
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/sex-abuse-royal-commission-considering-public-hearing-into-detention-centres-after-nauru-leak-20160815-gqsv9e.html
    Richard Ackland ponders over the possibility of the law coming to the rescue of abused asylum seekers and refugees.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/aug/15/can-the-law-come-to-the-rescue-of-abused-asylum-seekers-and-refugees
    And now it’s Victoria’s turn to send in administrators to clean out councils.
    http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/more-than-100-victorian-councillors-face-disqualification-20160815-gqsuzl.html

  10. Section 3 . . .

    At last! Some action on white collar crime. Former Kleenmaid director gets six years in jail.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/15/former-kleenmaid-director-bradley-wendell-young-sentenced-nine-years-jail-fraud
    Pauline Hanson at loggerheads with toilet affairs of state.
    https://newmatilda.com/2016/08/15/pauline-hanson-says-a-new-toilet-could-destroy-australian-way-of-life/
    A warning from the ATO on deductions that will be carefully looked at.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/atos-top-five-list-of-dodgiest-deductions-claimed-at-tax-time-20160815-gqsrkf.html
    It’s already time this Roberts idiot was really taken down by humiliation or whatever it takes. QandA exhibited perfect false equivalence “balance” by having on somebody who knows everything with somebody who knows nothing.
    http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/one-nations-malcolm-roberts-continues-to-deny-the-existence-of-climate-change-20160815-gqt67t.html
    Here’s a bit of history on serial nut Malcolm Roberts.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/sen-malcolm-roberts-climate-denier-conspiracy-nut-and-serial-pest,9358
    Aussie Farmers is setting up to disrupt the Colesworth duopoly.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/aussie-farmers-direct-moves-into-pantry-items-and-household-goods-20160815-gqstbe.html
    Where have good manners gone?
    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/xavier-toby-lets-take-a-stand-against-morons-who-stay-seated/news-story/c914f631f3191e2a523eedbfd32946a3

  11. Section 4 . . . Cartoon Corner Part 1

    Mark Knight thinks the AFL is having too many “dedication” rounds.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/430c7f1cce2ecf35ae4f654408b851b3
    I can’t work out David Rowe’s effort this morning.

    Cathy Wilcox introduces Trumpology.

    Sean Leahy has had trouble keeping up with watching the Olympic Games.

    Paul Zanetti with Trump’s “sarcasm”.

    Chris Downes and the path to marriage equality.

    Matt Golding with our glorious tourist in Bali.

  12. Section 5 . . . Cartoon Corner Part 2

    Sheeting the census blame – Ron Tandberg.

    Matt Golding tracks down child minding fraud.
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/matt-golding-20151124-gl6ndp.html
    David Pope and some politicians off the planet.
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/act-news/david-pope-20120214-1t3j0
    Jon Kudelka has Turnbull preparing to go near the GST again.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/5400e158701fdef1a8817d186b27d41f

  15. Last night I said Brian Cox was awesome and I meant it. He was awesome in the way he handled Mad Mal.
    I wanted to hear more from Cox, but Tony Jones was determined to give Mad Mal the spotlight, and allowed him more time than any of the others.

    Why shouldn’t scientists be cool, and look hip? Why shouldn’t they sound like Keanu Reeves? If he manages to interest people – not just young people – in science then that’s a good thing, and he can talk in whatever way he likes if it attracts more interest.

    I’ve worked out Mad Mal’s schtick. You ask him a question and he turns it back on you, with a response like ‘So you are saying I’m a ……) or ‘So you think …..). He hopes you will then try to explain yourself, giving him time to cone up with what he hopes will be a dazzling refuting of your premise.

    A wise person asking questions of this twit, when given that treatment, should say something like ‘I’m saying you are a blithering idiot, now answer my question’.

    • I personally like Brian Cox a lot, though, or perhaps because, I don’t have a scientific mind at all. I like his gentleness in the way he explains things.

  16. https://www.crikey.com.au/2016/08/16/essential-census-headed-for-the-rocks-as-voters-refuse-to-participate/ paywalled

    Aug 16, 2016
    Essential: more support for banking royal commission, census stuffed
    The 2016 census is looking badly flawed as millions of Australians have yet to fill it out and many refuse to provide their names, Essential Report shows.
    Bernard Keane — Politics Editor

    Support for a royal commission into banking practices is growing, today’s Essential Report shows, despite the government’s best efforts to thwart it. And the census is looking profoundly flawed as Australians decline to participate.

    In the aftermath of last Tuesday’s census disaster, 71% of Essential respondents said they had provided their name and address, while 23% had yet to fill out the census, and 6% plan to not provide their name and address at all.

    Greens voters are the least compliant, with 35% saying they had not (yet) filled out the census — but around 20% of Labor and Liberal voters also failed to fill it out; 8% of Liberal voters say they won’t provide their names, compared to 5% of Labor voters and 7% of Greens, while — defying their reputation for fringe politics — just 4% of “other” voters were not going to provide their names.

    ……………..

    On voting intention, Labor still leads 52%-48% on a two-party preferred basis. The Coalition is down a point to 39% while Labor is steady on 37%, the Greens remain on 10% and NXT on 4%.

  17. Hilarious!

    On 2GB this morning, Ray Hadley picked up on the Pauline Hanson story concerning squat toilets in the Box Hill branch of the ATO.

    https://newmatilda.com/2016/08/15/pauline-hanson-says-a-new-toilet-could-destroy-australian-way-of-life/

    Hadley said he didn’t believe it… thought it was an internet “urban myth”.

    But, of course, The Australian (a News Ltd publication) wrote it up this morning, so Hadley conceded that he had to take it seriously.

    Rising to his most elevated state of high dudgeon, Hadley railed and ranted… not at the stupidity of Hanson, but at the scandal of people who use squat toilets – or as he put it “people who don’t know how to use an Australian toilet” – actually being allowed to assess our tax returns.

    Hadley’s logic was: “If they can’t use a ‘normal’ toilet, how can we expect them to be able to use a calculator?”

    Hadley had once encountered squat toilets in India, when he went there to commentate on the Commonwealth Games, but refused to use them. Presumably he controlled his bowels until he returned to the hotel, which (Hadley told us) was kitted out with “civilized toilets”. Hadley expressed a disdain for the mechanism and procedure of using a squat toilet, which he described in detail, mentioning hoses used to “flush yourself” afterwards, as opposed to the proper option and application of toilet paper.

    With spit from his outraged mouth hitting the microphone, Hadley took up and agreed with Hanson’s proposition that squat toilets in the Box Hill ATO branch were a threat to our Australian way of life. We didn’t want people shitting peculiar, and then casting their eyes over our tax returns… or handling them with hands that had only minutes before been wielding the dreaded “bidet” hose

    If “These People” were not prepared to learn how to use a toilet in the accepted manner, then Hadley reckons the Tax Office should sack them, or send them on training courses. He didn’t go into the details of how the final exam of any such course should be conducted, or to whether grading levels – “A”, “B” and “C” – should be awarded, or if you would score a Certificate Of Attainment In Toilet Use for your troubles.

    He also said that whoever authorised this blatant waste of taxpayers’ money on squat toilets should be dismissed forthwith. He then trotted out his favourite word – “bizarre” – to describe the scandalous situation.

    His next item was a discussion of up-skirting in public toilets. Apparently a cleaner at a Victorian railway station had encouraged female passengers to use a particular “Disabled” stall at his station. For the purposes of (as Hadley put it) “his demented sexual gratification”, the cleaner had rigged this one stall with an iPhone camera which filmed ladies doing their business. He was caught out when a passenger examined an anomalous cardboard box inside the stall with a peephole punched in its side, opening it to find the camera.

    The cleaner confessed to being “addicted to up-skirting” for the four years previously to his arrest, and has been charged and brought before the local magistrates.

    What Hadley was outraged about was that the cleaner had not been sacked. He was still on suspension with full pay. This was like a red rag to Hadley, who abhors the waste of public money on “animals”, “clowns” and “perverts”.

    His wrap-up at the end of the segment was tinged with emotional exhaustion. What with squat toilets (and the obviously un-Australian, suspect people who would want to use them having anything to do with our tax returns), and deviants up-skirting innocent ladies in public toilets on railway stations, and being paid to do so, Hadley told his listeners he had “had enough”. Australia was under threat and the “Fat Cats” in the ATO, and at Vic Rail didn’t give a shit.

    You really did have to be there.

    • “He also said that whoever authorised this blatant waste of taxpayers’ money on squat toilets should be dismissed forthwith.”

      I actually agree with this statement except perhaps dismissing that person. imo it’s the most impractical of all inventions, a stone age thing. Anyone can learn to sit since they all already sit on chairs.

  18. The headline on Grattan’s article “If Abbott hadn’t been hyper-partisan on Malaysia people swap, Turnbull mightn’t have a Nauru problem” is missing the real (political) point..

    Without the Asylum seeker issue to beat the Labor govt with, we just MIGHT have been spared Abbott/Turnbull altogether… (on the premise that if JG’s govt had been stronger on other issues/polls, Krudd would have had less ammo for challenge)

    And missing the humanitarian point – hundreds of legitimate refugees might not be rotting on Nauru and Manus… and several might not be dead.

    I do like this line from Cokebottles:

    Abbott’s political modus operandi has been marked on occasion by acting and then seeking absolution retrospectively. But this issue was too big, and the Coalition’s obstruction too significant, for any political absolution to be granted. He, Morrison and the opposition generally behaved cynically and irresponsibly.

    • It’s a can of worms, this asylum seeker business.

      We need to cut out this nonsense about Abbott (or the Greens) killing the Malaysian Solution. Abbott did not stop it, he just voted against amendments to legislation that would have – maybe – allowed the plan to proceed, as did the Greens, after the High Court had ruled against it. It was actually a deeply flawed and illegal plan and in the long run would have caused more problems.
      http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/11/23/3374312.htmW

      As a result Labor, and Julia Gillard, re-opened Nauru and Manus Island, heaven knows why. It seems to me to have been a tactic to shut Abbott up, nothing more. At the time Abbott had been prancing around for ages demanding the re-opening of Nauru, he had even flown over to tour the place and had declared the old camps only needed some paint and they would be ready for occupation in ‘a couple of weeks’.
      http://www.news.com.au/national/tony-abbott-pushes-for-nauru-asylum-seeker-option-on-visit-to-island/story-e6frfkvr-1226073880300

      Labor started the ‘you will be incarcerated for the same length of time as it would have taken you to work through the immigration process’ thing too. That started the horrible process of locking people up in hellholes for years.

      Then Krudd, desperate to be re-elected, desperate to hang on to seats he was told would abandon the party because they allegedly were full of voters who hated refugees, made things worse with his stupid ‘if you arrive by boat you will never be settled in Australia’ thing, completely ignoring the bleeding obvious – more asylum seekers arrive by air than by boat, and the air arrivals are detained on the mainland.

      No matter what way you try to twist it, Labor’s hands are filthy.

      This is what happens when a government pays too much attention to focus groups and spin doctors, refuses to stand up for human rights, refuses to take a strong stand, caves in to bigots and as a result completely loses its way.

    • I don’t think Labor’s hands are as “filthy” as the Libs, but I admit they’re not clean. It’s now up to Shorten to repair the damage Rudd, whom he picked, has done. I realise Julia Gillard was at fault too, mainly because of, as always, the tragic drownings. The thing is it shouldn’t be too late for Shorten to backflip, after all the elections are over. He’s got nothing to lose, only a kind heart to gain.

    • Public feeling has changed, people are fed up with the cruelty. Shorten needs to grab the initiative and announce a completely new policy, he needs to do it now, get up and say the camps will close and will never be re-opened under a Labor government, never again.

      Shorten can have off-shore processing on Christmas Island, that’s OK, although regional processing would also be a good idea. Processing should be quick, it should not take years. Keeping people off-shore while they are processed, vaccinated, health and security checked is fine as long as it is all done quickly and the refugees are then brought to the mainland. The Christmas Island centre was purpose-built, at huge cost, just for that, until Dutton decided to use it as a holding place for people awaiting deportation making it a sort of off-shore prison.

      Regional processing could have been worked out years ago, but our governments just kept taking the easy option – lock people up on islands and hope no-one notices. Howard set up a faux processing centre in Indonesia, it stopped the boats, for a few years, because those in the centre believed they would soon be on their way to Australia, but although processing did take place no-one was permitted to leave. It was just a warehouse for refugees. Howard paid IOM millions to run the place, for years. When the inmates finally realised they were trapped they took to the boats. By then Howard had lost government.

      Krudd to his huge discredit tried to revive this scheme, he intended to pay Indonesia to detain refugees indefinitely. It didn’t happen. Then Julia Gillard tried the same thing with East Timor. That fell over too.

      It’s a long, sad history and the worst part is the way our governments – both Labor and Coalition – have tried to justify their criminal actions by demonising helpless people and by teaching us to hate them. That is unforgivable.

    • The worst part is also the fact that both governments don’t see anything wrong in what’s happening. And there isn’t much fight against the inhumane way refugees are being treated in the social media either. The Senate inquiry is a pretense, imo. And while it’s happening, the AS continue to be abused.

  19. Just reading Michelle Grattan’s piece on Abbott this morning. A bit late, sweetheart, it was all obvious at the time to anyone who cared to look, which wasn’t you. With a literal handful of exceptions the only people who predicted the Abbott disaster were the ones on the little lefty blogs the mainstream loves to look down on. And much the same went & still goes for Malware.

  22. BB in his report on Bolt reminds me that there is a strange commonality to all the right wing commentators when they are on a rant against some small change to the way we might live our lives, their belief that our society is balanced on a precipice and any slight deviation from the norms of the past will surely dash us to complete destruction.
    When you boil down this latest threat to the Australian way of life it is just one office building offering an additional option in bowel voiding furniture. Use it or don’t use it, who cares? Hadley going on a rant about the matter is just illustration that deep down, he has got nothing to say.

  24. If we can talk about squat toilets I’ll have my whinge on modern day male hairdressers.

    I have just spent half an hour at a local barber ‘ruminating’ on why the gown I wore fastened around my throat had been used by the previous client and why the implements including combs, scissors, electric clippers etc had been used on the previous client and probably hundreds of others without sterilization. In the good old days hairdressers sterilized combs at least (but probably not the cut-throat razor).
    I have witnessed the continuing unhygienic modern day practice in barbers that I have been charged from $20 to upmarket $200 in.
    A hairdresser in the moderately upmarket David Jones salon regularly ‘nicked’ me around the ear.

    My concerns are now justifiably heightened as I have just read in The Age online that 30% of people carry the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (which I previously nearly died from as a child) in their nose or on their skin. And if it gets into your blood through a wound for example – it can be fatal.

  26. It is a shame The Pub doesn’t have anyone that lives in the NT to keep us up to date with what is happening with their election.

  27. gigilene
    Yes my barber days are always 2 showers and the shirt goes into the washing basket

  28. And what say you, Sprout?

    The government of Nauru has said most incidents detailed in the Nauru files were “fabricated” and has accused Australian media and politicians of using refugees as political pawns.

    The Nauruan government delivered its first official statement on the files, having declined repeated requests for comment over recent weeks, in two tweets from the account of its information office on Tuesday.

    “Most refugee & advocate claims on Nauru fabricated to achieve goal to get to Aust. So called ‘reports’ based solely on these claims #fact,” it wrote.

    “Aust left wing media, greens MPs and advocates still using refugees as pawns for their political agendas. Very sad.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/aug/16/nauru-says-refugee-claims-fabricated-and-being-used-to-suit-political-agendas

  30. Mad Mal didn’t know it last night, but NASA’s latest figures were about to be released. They are not good news.

    Malcolm Roberts leaves NASA ‘flummoxed’ with Q&A climate claims
    http://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/malcolm-roberts-leaves-nasa-'flummoxed'-with-q&a-climate-claims-20160815-gqt9a4

  35. Déjà vu

    A private school for children with autism is being investigated after allegations a boy at the school was being held unsupervised in a lockable fenced structure he called a “cage”.

    Officials from the NSW Board of Studies Teaching and Educational Standards body visited the ASPECT Macarthur School on Sydney’s western fringe and interviewed the parent of the child yesterday after 7.30 notified Minister Adrian Piccoli’s office of the complaint over the weekend.

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-16/school-investigated-after-claims-boy-with-autism-locked-in-cage/7747494

    This time, the school is not so forthcoming.

  37. Click to access Essential-Report_160816.pdf

    http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/bureau-of-statistics-an-independent-body-and-only-parliament-can-sack-its-chief/news-story/19b4ba5c127c791f2a8884634c6702aa

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/aug/16/northern-territory-mps-government-car-implicated-in-cow-killing

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/aug/15/brexit-damage-to-uk-economy-will-outweigh-wage-gains-study-finds

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/16/new-zealands-most-shameful-secret-we-have-normalised-child-poverty

  38. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/nobby-beach-po-box-tied-to-russian-cyber-spies/news-story/c4971d6af3c81d5b826814ba4142672b free article

    • Approximately 24 years ago OH acquired a super-duper petrol-powered whipper-snipper.

      On the day of acquisition, he went around the garden whipper-snippering everything in sight.

      Then he approached the “driveway” gate, where there was a big clump of grass.

      I tried – I really tried – to get to him before he destroyed that clump.

      You see, I knew that, nested in that clump, was a large pile of very fresh dog turds.

      * * * * * * *

      OH was ushered in the back door, required to strip completely, and was sent off to shower. Everything he was wearing, except the shoes, went straight into the washing machine and underwent a triple wash. The shoes were hosed clean outside.

      I must confess my reaction was one of extreme hilarity.

  40. Leroy

    Just a quick thank you for your links. I have clicked on most of them when I see them on your twitter feed. I catch up on the rest when you post them here.

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