It’s December

joe6pack Uncategorized

It’s December which is my favorite time of year.images-6

Be prepared for some sudden changes and different looks

left-vs-right

Everyone needs to have a deep breath and relax after this not so very great year.

218263-take-a-deep-breath

 

So buckle up and get ready for The PUBS Christmas Month.

Starting with.

571 thoughts on “It’s December”

  1. Political Animal

    We had six absolutely fabulous years in Tassie from ’92 to ’98 at Fingal. Minus 8 in winter was nothing. Would have love to have stayed there forever, but life intervened.

  2. tlbd

    I agree, there are a few on my twitter timeline that go on and on, if they weren’t interesting in their other normal posts I’d unfollow. We have enough stuff to worry about with what is happening here. I know USA politics affects us, but there is nothing we can do about that.

  3. 2gravel

    I am planning to move there once Mum dies or goes into a nursing home—dementia.

    Make cider, brew beer, cook bread and pizza in a cob oven and all those good things. Hope to tempt a niece and great niece to come join me.

  4. Daniel Andrews is, now, in favour of dignified deaths. After his father suffered.

    We’re in “Oh, it happened to me!” territory. A sad indictment.

    • “What brain-dead troglodytes elect these idiots?”

      In his case the I Robots of SA.

    • And Tasmania – they elected Lambie,

      Pol Animal, get down there ASAP, the place needs intelligent voters.

    • Looked at the NW corner of Tas? The Tarquin?

      I will explore ALL of Tas, you can be sure!

    • The Tarquin?

      Stay a couple of nights at Corinna and “do” the Pieman River.”

  7. We’re going OS next month and are thinking of doing a blog of the trip.

    Any suggestions about how-to?

    I know, I know, I could do some research myself.

  8. The $15 billion Waffles refuses to get off our power bills has escaped wide notice.

    I can forgive the ABC: too busy feathering the nests filing the pig troughs.

  9. Have you ever noticed that people are never allowed to die from cancer, instead they always ‘lose their battle with cancer’,

    Those words and the term ‘battling cancer’ have been something I have loathed for a long time. I’ve had cancer. I never saw my illness as a ‘battle’ but as something to be dealt with and treated, just like any other serious health problem. If you have a habit of using those words then please stop it. You never say someone is ‘battling’ diabetes or high blood pressure or psoriasis, so don’t do it when you talk about cancer patients.

    Finally having someone say just what I have believed for a very long time is wonderful.

    Mind your language: ‘Battling’ cancer metaphors can make terminally ill patients worse
    Researchers claim we should change how we talk about the disease
    http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/mind-your-language-battling-cancer-metaphors-can-make-terminally-ill-patients-worse-9836322.html

    • I think Pol An is several steps ahead:

      In January 2008, Fearnley-Whittingstall called on hospitality and food service operators to use less intensively farmed chicken:

      It’s one thing to challenge individual consumers to give up intensively reared chicken but it’s also an issue where anyone in the business of selling chicken has to take a stand… in some cases I know chefs, not naming names, at the very high-end sector who are not using free-range birds. Some of them are on the road to Michelin stars

      Wiki

  11. Political Animal

    When you get to be ‘a cidering’ how about making a “The Pub” run, labels and all. I’m sure there would be a few patrons here willing to buy some of Tasmania’s finest. Just as I am sure there are ways around what ever liquor laws and selling stuff. Put me down for a dozen. Oh and 6 of the cherry infused cider 🙂

  12. Had a good experience at a mall today (Belconnen Mall, for the locals).

    I was heading straight towards the up escalator and saw two young ladies coming towards me next to the escalator and looked as if they were about to launch on to it. They were marginally ahead of me so I slowed down to let them on first.And so it was. They got on first and the rearmost turned round to me and said “Thank you!”

    Didn’t I say? She was not Caucasian.

  13. TLBD

    Were you on the way to the pokies 😕 😆

    The biggest money-spinners for the Labor Party-owned group are its Belconnen and city poker machines.

    In Belconnen, the major gambling site for the group, each of the 282 machines made a pre-tax profit of $55,400 in the past financial year. In the city Labor Club, each of the 61 machines made $56,800

    http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/labor-clubs-run-the-most-profitable-poker-machines-in-canberra-20151117-gl1j6b.html

    • kaffeeklatscher,

      Not played the pokies for many many years.

      It was the last day of sorting ourselves out for going overseas.

      We have spent the last two weeks or so doing “stuff”: wills, EPAs, tickets. Today was about getting gear. Also towards the end of buying presents.

      If it weren’t for the grand-children I would readily give up on the gift thing. BTW, the word “gift” in Danish means “poison”.

  14. This little black duck

    Re manners in situations like that. In the early 2000’s i was bussing to and from work and catching two buses. THE rudest most likely to push in people were ‘caucasian women about 50. My time of travel meant bloody school kids were on the loose but despite their bad press they stood back let people in and certainly did not push in. They did however speak very loudly which threatened to cause early onset ‘grumpy old man’. Old young male female ethnic or Skip the sticking out like the proverbials was that demographic.

    • Anywhere we go in Canberra the people are of so many cultures and I have yet to see any hint of agro.

      Vive la difference!

  15. Christmas presents –

    I don’t buy Christmas presents these days, with one exception. No 1 son and I exchange gifts and those are carefully arranged to order. The grand-kids get money, their parents can take the kids shopping, use the money for holiday things like trips to the movies or just put it in the kids’ bank accounts.The adults don’t get presents and I don’t expect any from them. It all works well

    Birthdays are when I give proper presents.

    • Birthdays?

      While I’m in a sort of don’t-give-a-damn mood, I find celebrations / commemorations at specific intervals ludicrous.

      An event took place at some time (let us not forget the degree of accuracy of that event) and everyone goes totally ape shit.

      Presents? I prefer to give people things when I want. I can get an idea by any means of something that someone I like or love would appreciate. If it is within my means, it will be given.

      Wars and other disasters? Let them who wish not forget whenever they so wish. If Remembrance of War is intended to discourage future wars, forget it!

  16. Worth reading, if this stuff is of interest

    Faf du Plessis’s pleas of innocence over ball tampering have been met with a withering assessment from the MCC World Cricket Committee, with the body’s head of cricket, John Stephenson, saying the South Africa captain’s actions “flagrantly contravened the law”.

    https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/07/mcc-faf-du-plessis-flagrantly-cheating-ball-tampering-cricket

    I have come to the conclusion quite recently that I don’t care about cheating in sport. Nor do I care about any advertisements on the field or on TV coverage.

    The time and money spent on suppressing them is just so much over the top. AND out of my pocket.

    I watch the grands playing sport but watch very little sport, or anything else, on TV.

  17. This little black duck

    Tat’s “THE rudest, most likely to push in………………..’

    A wtf? at that time was how I kept hearing moans about teh yoof “these days” never giving up their seats for their ‘elders’ and yet every day i saw them doing just that . One BOO HISS trend I spotted, well heard, amongst the high school herd was the taking up of the “Valley Girl” accent by the ‘gels’ . Some Seppo program that was the bee’s knees at the time was who i attributed blame to.

    Frank Zappa’s daughter Moon gives the Valley Girls a serve

    • kaffeeklatscher,

      We were riding on the buses today.

      Getting on and off, peeps were in no way pushy; just sort of standing back to let the next person(s) get off /on first.

      Quite enjoyable.

    • A nice (in the old sense) question: will mal or lucy be the first in the cuckoo’s nest?

  20. This little black duck

    Indeed and that was what I found and find all the time. My observation was about the few that transgressed the unwritten law of waiting in line at a busy bus stop.

    • Interesting – the mobile (m.pbxmastragics.com) site works, but the desktop (pbxmastragics.com) site forgets who I am between logging in and hitting the “Post Comment” button. (I’ve tried Firefox and Edge browsers.)

      Is anyone successfully using the desktop site?

    • I can get it to work with Edge (ugh.) Once I login to WordPress, I get the WordPress toolbar at the top of the screen and can post.

      Firefox keeps redirecting me back to the normal website; no toolbar, no posting. I’ll try again in “safe” mode in case a plug-in is screwing things up.

  25. Am I the only one who saw the two consecutive posts and thought, ‘Kirk Duckless’? 😉

    • Eureka!

      For some reason, in Firefox the (Tools, Options, Privacy) “Accept third-party cookies” option was set to “Never”; changing this to “From visited” did the trick. (I had it set to “From visited” previously; Firefox 50 may have changed it for improved security?)

    • A browser refresh may be required for the toolbar to appear.

      If you click on the comment box and underneath it still says that you are logged in, you should be good to go.

  27. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/state-politics/mike-baird-slumps-to-lowest-rating-as-coalition-clings-to-its-lead/news-story/3d2725e40d1cf002daa20eb9ce63186c

    Mike Baird slumps to lowest rating as Coalition clings to its lead
    The Australian 10:06PM December 8, 2016
    Kylar Loussikian Journalist Sydney

    Mike Baird’s satisfaction rating has slumped to his lowest on ­record, ­despite the government reversing course on a number of key policies including the controversial greyhound racing ban.

    A Newspoll, taken exclusively for The Australian, shows just 35 per cent of voters are satisfied with the NSW Premier’s performance, a fall of four percentage points since September and a dramatic decline from a year ago when he commanded 61 per cent satisfaction.

    The Coalition is still in a narrow election-winning position, with the two-party-preferred vote unchanged since September at 51 per cent to 49 per cent, a 3.3 per cent swing since last year’s election.

    A uniform swing of that magnitude across the state in the next election, due in 2019, would see Labor win six seats from the ­Coalition but Mr Baird would be returned with a comfortable majority.

    Despite the fall in Mr Baird’s satisfaction rating, voters continue to regard him as an overwhelmingly better choice as premier, 43 per cent to Luke Foley’s 26 per cent, although ­almost a third of respondents remain uncommitted.

    Newspoll shows the Opposition Leader’s satisfaction rising two points to 34 per cent since September, but dissatisfaction with his performance has also increased to 40 per cent.

    Labor’s primary vote remains at 36 per cent, a 2.1-point increase since the last state election, while the Coalition’s has edged down from 42 per cent in September to 41 per cent, compared with 45.6 per cent in March 2015.

  30. How unsurprising –

    Australia won’t meet Paris climate change targets, urgent policy needed on emission reduction: Finkel report

    A leaked report into the country’s electricity market says Australia is not on track to meet the Paris climate change commitments and that investment in the sector has stalled because there is no long-term Government policy to reduce carbon emissions.

    AM has obtained a copy of the preliminary independent report led by Australia’s chief scientist Alan Finkel, which will be released later today at the COAG heads of government meeting.

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-09/australias-energy-policy-cant-meet-current-targets/8105386

  31. Alrighty, just finished my latest project on Wikipedia – writing up the results of the NSW 1925 election. This and the 1922 and 1920 elections were significant in that NSW had a modified Hare-Clark system.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Results_of_the_New_South_Wales_state_election,_1925

    From what I can tell, it seems to be a fairly okay voting system. The main difference is that the parties would win 1 or 2 seats in areas where they would not have ordinarily won seats, such as the Nationalists in Balmain and Botany or Labor in the Byron Bay and Cumberland areas.

    I raise it because I remember Fiona asked about how a Hare-Clark voting system might work for a mainland state. And from what I can tell, it seems to be fair.

    • Kirsdarke,

      Many thanks for that information, and as always well done with your intriguing hobby.

  32. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.

    These leaked documents are dynamite for Turnbull. He is truly captured by the right wing rump and the crazies in the Nats.
    khttp://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/government-killed-emissions-scheme-despite-knowing-it-could-shave-15-billion-off-electricity-bills-20161208-gt6v48.html
    Adam Morton says that Turnbull’s rejection of evidence in his capitulation on climate change action will come at a cost. And so it should!
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/capitulation-on-climate-change-ignores-all-evidence-and-will-come-at-a-cost-20161207-gt60px.html
    Michelle Grattan wonders if Turnbull’s credibility deficit reached a point of no return. There’s none of her trademark fence sitting in this article.
    https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-has-turnbulls-credibility-deficit-reached-a-point-of-no-return-70144
    Laura Tingle on how not to be comfortable with ambiguity. Google.
    /opinion/climate-change-policy-or-how-not-to-be-comfortable-with-ambiguity-20161208-gt6yha
    Waleed Aly writes that Turnbull will NEVER have a credible policy on climate change.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/turnbull-will-never-have-a-credible-climate-change-policy-20161207-gt6h4s.html
    Ah! Some push back within the Liberal Party over climate change inaction and the resident RWNJs.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/liberal-party-powerbrokers-wife-kristina-photios-quits-over-lack-of-action-on-climate-change-20161208-gt7376.html
    Here’s the guts of the Finkel review into climate policy.
    https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/08/finkel-review-criticises-climate-policy-chaos-and-points-to-need-for-emissions-trading
    Phil Coorey on how the government killed off the “lowest cost” carbon abatement scheme. Google.
    /news/politics/government-killed-lowest-cost-carbon-scheme-20161208-gt6y4p
    John Hewson comes out and says why some Liberals cannot believe in climate change. He’s not impressed.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/why-certain-liberals-cant-believe-in-climate-change-20161208-gt6t6n.html
    Dennis Shanahan on how his colleagues have put Frydenberg “into the freezer” over climate policy. Google.
    /national-affairs/climate/josh-frydenberg-in-the-deep-freeze-as-coalition-colleagues-overheat/news-story/968d75336122c28d2bc1183c189c6f6a
    Ken Henry is not happy with our pollies.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/banking-and-finance/ken-henry-bemoans-fiscal-mess-in-call-for-bipartisanship-20161208-gt728i.html
    Mike Baird has a difficult decision in front of him next week over superannuation for criminal former MPs.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/mike-bairds-next-test-axing-super-for-criminal-mps-20161207-gt5nof.html
    Meanwhile St Vinnies Hospital has hit out at Baird over the relaxation of the bottle shop laws.
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/st-vincents-hospital-calls-on-nsw-government-to-rethink-bottleshop-changes-20161208-gt6rdm.html

  33. Section 2 . . .

    And Dom Knight says there is an easy way around the lockout issue – just properly enforce existing liquor laws.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/sydney-wouldnt-need-a-lockout-if-the-existing-liquor-rules-were-actually-enforced-20161208-gt7120.html
    Greg Jericho on the day Australia ran out of luck (temporarily). Look at the role of public investment and household consumption in the charts.
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2016/dec/08/the-day-the-australian-economy-ran-out-of-luck-if-only-temporarily
    Andrew Street picks apart Dick Smith’s reasons for supporting Pauline Hanson. He says he’s just another lobbyist.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/view-from-the-street/dick-smith-has-gone-from-beloved-entrepreneur-to-just-another-lobbyist-20161208-gt6jqx.html
    “Stop the boats” hits Denmark.
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/danish-mp-suggests-shooting-at-boats-carrying-migrants-20161208-gt79fm.html
    Daniel Andrews enhances his leadership credentials by supporting voluntary euthanasia legislation to be introduced in the new year.
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/nt-government-fails-to-stop-witnesses-giving-evidence-20161208-gt6ofj.html
    Ross Fitzgerald puts in his two bob’s worth and tells us that it is past time to introduce voluntary euthanasia laws. He writes that “Politicians who have not tasted the bitter end to a family member’s life, and especially those of a religious persuasion, often prevaricate and talk about the moment of death being “God’s will”. Or they argue that they don’t want old people being put down like dogs just because they are not useful anymore.´
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/baby-boomers-will-not-lie-down-and-die-an-undignified-death-20161208-gt6lzv.html
    Andrew Denton describes the euthanasia legislation in Victoria as “conservative but correct.” In the article he counters the arguments that will inevitably be put forward in the debate.
    http://www.theage.com.au/comment/euthanasia-move-is-conservative-but-correct-20161207-gt63bf.html
    Could the Republicans’ tax plan be the end of corporate income tax? Google.
    /news/politics/could-this-be-the-end-of-corporate-income-tax-20161207-gt6hgs
    The ADF is still failing its victims of abuse.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/defence-is-still-failing-the-victims-of-abuse-20161206-gt5k9s.html

  34. Section 3 . . .

    Barnaby’s “train crash” APMVA is already struggling with its workload. The man’s an idiot of the highest order!
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/public-service/train-crash-apvma-already-struggling-with-workload-20161207-gt6g24.html
    Woolworths may have had a win at the Federal Court over its treatment of suppliers but Michael Pascoe says they are treating them wrongly. Perhaps the laws should be looked at.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/woolworths-may-have-acted-legally-but-that-doesnt-make-it-right-20161208-gt72ks.html
    Obama is under pressure to declassify intelligence reports on Russian vote-rigging claims. There are some worrying things in this piece.
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2016/12/08/obama-russia-role-us-election/
    Is the new NT government trying to put in the fix at the Royal Commission?
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/nt-government-fails-to-stop-witnesses-giving-evidence-20161208-gt6ofj.html
    Harold Mitchell tells us that Trump can never make America great again without migrants.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/donald-trump-will-never-make-america-great-again-without-migrants-20161208-gt7263.html
    Here’s a good article on the CFA dispute and the role the media have played in fomenting it.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/cfa-dispute-managerialism-and-the-media,9817
    David Murray warns on the possibility of a disastrous property crash.
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/property/2016/12/08/david-murray-bubble/
    A slight mistake here.
    http://www.domain.com.au/news/bankstown-businessmans-home-accidentally-demolished-in-terrible-mixup-20161208-gt6k8c/
    This artist is tempting Trump to sue her by posting several “Trump” photos.
    https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/dec/08/artist-alison-jackson-self-publishes-spoof-trump-photos-despite-fear-of-being-sued

  35. Section 4 . . . Cartoon Corner

    Ron Tandberg nicely exposes the stupidity of ignoring advice on carbon abatement in the electricity industry.

    Cathy Wilcox celebrates our multiculturalism.

    Mark David says it all. He really nails it here.

    Andrew Dyson and our “shrinking” GDP.

    Alan Moir with a frightening view of Trump at work with his new team.

    Ron Tandberg comments on airport parking.

    David Pope and political mathematics.

    Mark Knight on Trump’s “humility”.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/32acb026a7f0fa95da47a8facc924c65?width=1024
    More evidence of Bill Leak’s psychological issues.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/8661270acb2890a7508edfae68210fdd
    Nicholson with the government’s “clarifying” statement on carbon policy.

  36. BK

    Barnaby’s “train crash” APMVA is already struggling with its workload. The man’s an idiot of the highest order!

    My current work involves a fair degree of contact with the APVMA, product registration etc. They are struggling to cope as it currently stands. Barnyard’s pork barrelling and the likely loss of a number of experience staff will cause one hell of a traffic jam for companies registering and maintaining registration for their products.

    • This mob have just as much of a problem understanding the difference between load and capacity as it does between price and cost.
      BTW do you reside in the ACT?

  37. BK

    Out in the wild wild west of Sandgropia. We have a major APVMA audit on Jan 17 so I’ll get to hear what the poor buggers feel about Barnyard’s stupid move.

  40. Are we due for another SA get-together?

    I have respite next weekend, so I’m as free for an impromptu Xmas knees-up 😀

  41. That should have read “as free as a bird”.

    Bloody children interrupting me with requests for parenty things … 😉

  48. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/dec/09/jaws-drop-at-abc-as-michelle-guthrie-defends-radio-national-cuts

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-09/federal-government-extends-funding-for-homelessness-services/8105762

    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-09/australias-energy-policy-cant-meet-current-targets/8105386

    https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/33462121/pauline-hanson-reports-wa-one-nation-branch-to-federal-police/

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/12/08/that-was-a-real-fireball-what-happened-when-john-glenn-orbited-the-earth-in-1962/

    Last link if you want an off-beat laugh. Its from Alexei Sayle’s old show “Stuff”

  50. The City of Lights aka Perth has quite an attachment to Glenn

    On the 20th February 1962, U.S. astronaut John Glenn, just happened to be orbiting the earth in his spacecraft Friendship VII, and would be passing over Perth that evening.

    With the support of the Perth City Council, it was decided that every light should be left on in the city. This would give John Glenn a birds eye opportunity to check out Perth.

    John! John! OVER HERE!

    Darn! Left my glasses on the kitchen table.
    Perth residents stood patiently in their back yards and waved torches skywards as the spacecraft passed over head. John peered out of his window and exclaimed, “The lights show up very well. Thank everybody for turning them on, will you”. The world was suddenly Perth aware.

    From that day onwards Perth became known as the “City of Light”. Our isolation made the spectacle all the more brilliant.

    Thirty six years later Perth residents hit the switches again. John Glenn was back up there, doing an encore orbit on board the space shuttle Discovery. It is believed he then remarked, “OK guys, you can turn them off now”.

    http://www.lifeonperth.com/cityoflight.htm

    …..leaving lights on, laying sheets on the lawn, shining torches in the sky and making beacons with white linen and their iconic Hill’s Hoist clotheslines (below) that allowed John Glenn to see the city in a global context for the first time. How much more Australian than this and how crucial the event was in revealing the mentality of the local inhabitants.

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