559 thoughts on “Happy Easter 2017”

  2. Sincere condolences on the death of your mother, Fiona. My own Mum is fading away into dementia and is losing strength. I hope she will pass peacefully away one night in her sleep like yours did before the dementia robs her of all dignity.

    OK, a story about death that hopefully will raise a chuckle.

    Some time in the late 80s both my father and the father of my then business partner suffered heart attacks which they survived. A couple of days after returning from hospital my partner’s father was offered a nice bricklaying job so off he went. Climbed up four sets of ladders and promptly died of another heart attack! Needed a helicopter to get the body down to ground level. I wondered if he was anxious not to spend time at home with his wife 🙂

    My father died Jan ’91 of emphysema.

  3. Fiona

    I just caught up, I wish you my sincerest condolences to you and your family. Thinking of you, all the best.

  6. Such sad news to read this morning, Fiona. It seems that your Mum left exactly when she was ready and that must be a great comfort to you. Hugs.

  7. Fiona, I’m very sorry for the loss of your mum. She is at peace, though I know you are sad to no longer have her. Take care.

  8. Fiona

    How thoughtful of your Mum to only have you have to remember one date. Your experience is the same I went through a couple of years ago. You will have to get a hobby now to fill in the time that you spent sharing with her. I will have a glass to toast her tonight, as it is a bit early to start this morning.

    We have the wonderful memory of hosting you both for the night, and her presence was the icing the cake.

    Love and Hugs
    Gravel

  9. Fiona

    I am very sorry to to hear of your loss. Your Mum was a cracker. Please take care.

    Love Razz

  10. Good morning Dawn Patrollers as BK sees another year added to the age marker..

    North Korean state media warned the United States of a “super-mighty preemptive strike” after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States was looking at ways to bring pressure to bear on North Korea over its nuclear program. Yes, Trump is moving things along nicely.
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/north-korea-warns-of-supermighty-preemptive-strike-as-us-plans-next-move-20170420-gvp4rw.html
    Meanwhile Nick Xenophon has warned China could sink an Australian naval ship to send a message to the United States if tensions escalate in the South China Sea.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/senator-nick-xenophon-warns-china-could-sink-australian-navy-ships-to-warn-us-20170420-gvopur.html
    John Hewson again writes sensibly about the budget and its problems. He’s not that taken with Morrison’s utterances.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-budget-is-too-important-to-be-hijacked-by-clever-politics-20170420-gvody8.html
    Mark Kenny says that some are referring to Turnbull’s citizenship announcement as a “Clayton’s boat people fight”.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/turnbulls-citizenship-changes-reflect-the-trumpist-zeitgeist-20170420-gvojhk.html
    Here’s Laura Tingle’s take on citizenship. Google.
    /opinion/columnists/laura-tingle/its-no-longer-just-fear-of-457-visa-foreigners-as-we-hunker-down-on-the-economy-20170420-gvojkf
    Michelle Grattan writes “Malcolm Turnbull’s spectacular elevation of “Australian values” raises questions about the Prime Minister’s own values. In particular, has he once again forfeited his political integrity?”
    https://theconversation.com/grattan-on-friday-malcolm-turnbull-forges-values-into-political-weaponry-76480
    We should be encouraging permanent residents to commit to Australia, not finding more ways to exclude them, writes University of Adelaide Law School Associate Professor Alex Reilly.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/government-uses-citizenship-as-mechanism-for-exclusion,10219
    Katherine Murphy piles right into Turnbull and his citizenship move.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/apr/20/malcolm-turnbull-puts-soundbites-before-substance-in-flawed-comeback-strategy
    Australian Council of Trade Unions head accuses Coalition of failing to consult its own council over the 457 changes, making her advice ‘irrelevant’
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/apr/21/ged-kearney-quits-advisory-role-after-being-bypassed-on-457-visa-changes
    Foreign home buyers, vacant properties and self-managed super funds will be targeted by Labor as the federal opposition launches a pre-emptive strike on affordable housing designed to seize the political agenda from the Turnbull government. This, which Shorten and Bowen will announce today, will rattle a few cages.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labor-hits-foreigners-vacant-properties-and-super-funds-in-housing-affordability-package-20170420-gvolrj.html

  11. Section 2 . . .

    Now there are two police officers dead after a shooting in the middle of Paris. It was probably a terrorist attack.
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/champselysees-shooting-two-police-officers-killed-in-paris-20170420-gvp510
    Mike Pence is coming here to soothe our nerves over Trump.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/steady-hand-mike-pence-offers-insight-into-donald-trumps-thinking-on-australia-trip-20170420-gvony9.html
    Leigh Sales got Turnbull quite tetchy over the citizenship issue last night.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/i-dont-think-your-hearts-in-it-leigh-malcolm-turnbull-defends-uniquely-australian-values-20170420-gvp2hy.html
    Fergus Hunter looks at how the citizenship changes could hurt vulnerable imigrants.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/citizenship-crackdown-could-punish-vulnerable-migrants-community-groups-warn-20170419-gvo8q4.html
    James Massola writes that Shorten is not biting when it comes to Turnbull and Dutton taunting Labor over citizenship.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-targets-labor-over-australian-values-citizenship-quiz-20170419-gvo9jn.html
    And Andrew Street reminds Turnbull that racism doesn’t necessarily win elections in Australia. Street doesn’t hold back.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/view-from-the-street/racism-doesnt-actually-win-elections-in-australia-malcolm-20170419-gvo924.html
    France is making the UK’s political dramas look tame.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/france-makes-britains-political-dramas-seem-tame-20170419-gvo8nx.html
    What undercurrents were and are flowing regarding Turnbull’s intervention in Warringah at the end of the 2016 election campaign?
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/vote-for-abbott-save-the-barrier-reef-malcolm-turnbulls-pitch-to-warringah-voters-20170420-gvoiut.html
    Richo writes that Turnbull doesn’t stand a chance unless he gives Abbott a job. Google.
    /opinion/columnists/graham-richardson/to-stay-on-top-turnbull-must-give-abbott-a-job/news-story/6fe905c49df8b3e14cd3dcb28c0b9aae
    Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott are now locked together in a death roll says John Lyons in The Australian. Google.
    /opinion/how-abbott-and-turnbulls-rivalry-set-to-send-shorten-to-the-lodge/news-story/3521137b912e4982f21e737ceed220ac

  12. Section 3 . . .

    The SMH editorialises that there are worrying signs at the fringes of politics that an irrational and unscientific approach to policy is making inroads. We should put science at the centre of society it says. Will the SMH be branded an heretic organisation because of this?
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/putting-science-at-the-centre-of-society-20170419-gvnu4d.html
    How the NSW Liberals gamed the system at the North Shore byelection.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-simple-sign-that-won-an-election-through-confusion-20170420-gvof2e.html
    The Turnbull government is under renewed pressure to tackle the cost, complexity and poor coverage of private health insurance amid warnings the problems are threatening the future of Medicare.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/dangerous-path-medicare-seriously-threatened-by-private-health-insurance-20170419-gvnpyj.html
    Will the pathetic NBN be the thing that keeps the lid on Amazon?
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/consumer-affairs/amazons-'secret-weapon'-how-website-experience-can-influence-shoppers-20170420-gvole2.html
    The federal government has not done any modelling on the impact of the Fair Work Commission’s decision to cut penalty rates, responses to a Senate hearing have revealed. Obviously ideology trumps all.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/economic-benefits-from-penalty-rate-cuts-not-tested-treasury-reveals-20170420-gvogcx.html
    The fight over gambling ads during sports telecasts is getting dirty now. And Mitch Fifield is right in the middle of t.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/media-and-marketing/television-networks-warn-gambling-ad-ban-may-shut-down-freetoair-sports-20170420-gvosv1.html
    Sarah Palin, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent visit the White House for dinner with President Trump. This says it all!
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/sarah-palin-kid-rock-and-ted-nugent-visit-the-white-house-for-dinner-with-president-trump-20170420-gvp4q0.html
    The federal government’s plans for more decentralisation of Commonwealth public servants from Canberra and other capital cities was mired in confusion and uncertainty on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the policy was launched. What a clusterf**k!
    http://www.canberratimes.com.au/national/public-service/confusion-reigns-over-nats-public-service-bush-push-20170420-gvolbu.html
    Can decentralisation actually work?
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/public-service/can-decentralising-the-australian-public-service-actually-work-20170420-gvoe68.html

  13. Section 4 . . .

    And which department will be next slated to move away from Canberra?
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/public-service/decentralisation-hit-list-which-australian-public-service-workplace-will-be-next-20170420-gvom0w.html
    And right on cue the head of the APVMA has resigned. Nice work Barnaby!
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/public-service/armidale-pesticides-boss-pulls-pin-20170420-gvp13j.html
    The Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare have completely backfired as the ACA (Obamacare) is now more popular than the entire GOP (Republican Party).
    http://www.politicususa.com/2017/04/20/repeal-backfires-obamacare-popular-entire-republican-party.html

  14. Section 5 . . . a big Cartoon Corner

    This from a new cartoonist Jim Pavlidis says a lot about yesterday’s citizenship announcement.

    Mark David and Malcolm’s makeover.

    Broelman with an interesting take on the new citizenship test.
    https://pbs.twimg.com/card_img/855062518753935361/SkbXAeXe?format=jpg&name=600×314
    And an even better one here!

    Broelman is on fire today!

    Another brilliant and typically detailed effort from David Rowe.

    MUST SEE! David Pope goes all the way on “Australian values”.

    A ripper from Ron Tandberg.

    Mark Knight really puts the boot in on Turnbull’s motives.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/8351782fade1b8fa2f7a11e8fb3ebf36?width=1024
    A good little contribution from Jon Kudelka on the citizenship teat.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/83f5f19edb1f617e2c43ee75eb9ca3cd

  17. Trumble failed to consult? Now there’s a surprise.

    The president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Ged Kearney, has withdrawn from the government’s advisory body on skilled migration in protest at changes to temporary work visas.

    Kearney has accused the Coalition of failing to consult its own ministerial advisory council on skilled migration about the abolition of 457 visas in favour of two new temporary visa classes.

    In a letter sent on Thursday to the Australian Industry Group chief executive, Innes Willox, who chairs the council, Kearney also set out the union movement’s substantive objections to the new scheme, which it believes fails to crack down on rorts and the exploitation of workers.

    Kearney said the changes had not been discussed at the council and she had concluded it was therefore “an ineffective body that has been ignored by the government and our recommendations have become irrelevant”.

    The ACTU president said that the council was “not sufficiently independent from government” and unbalanced. Kearney noted that she was the only unionist on a body that should be “genuinely tripartite” with equal representatives from unions, employers and others.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/apr/21/ged-kearney-quits-advisory-role-after-being-bypassed-on-457-visa-changes

  18. Many happy happies BK, hope you are spoiled rotten today, and if you don’t turn up tomorrow morning we’ll know you are a bit under the weather. 🙂

    • By pure coincidence a couple living near our township had invited us to to a small dinner party tonight and when Mrs BK told her it was my birthday she said it would therefore be a bit of a celebration.
      So I shall heed your warning.

  19. Fiona, from what you wrote about her, your Mum was a loving and loved person. It’s quite clear that she and you made those you both interacted with happier and more content from knowing you both.
    As I read through all the messages sent to you by the denizens of this Pub, I realise once again how fortunate we are that Boss Joe set up this building. We’ve lost your Mum but her memory and your continuing contributions will make us all feel that life is a wonderful gift that we can share with others.
    I send you a hug through the internet.

  23. Some sad news from Pollbludger. BH, a very lovely lady, her son passed away.

    Mari
    Friday, April 21, 2017 at 6:43 am
    I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, BH had asked me to pass on to her friends here on PB that her son died yesterday. I am just numb, and can’t write anymore as I am such great friends of her and her husband

  28. Dear Pubsters,

    Thank you all for your kind words last night and today. I appreciate them more than I can say.

    OH and I have just returned from clearing her room at her residence. We did it remarkably quickly (mind you, it’s not the most elegant packing we’ve ever done).

    The last items to be packed were those in her “memory box”, a glassed cabinet outside her room. We had been given keys and could get the top cabinet (which belonged to the next room) open, but not the lower one where mum’s things were. I went downstairs to sort keys out, and returned with the maintenance man to find OH had packed the things from the top cabinet … Fortunately, they were replaced and that cabinet locked just before the lady next door came out of her room.

  30. This ‘Australian values’ business – and some other random stuff.

    Mr Turnbull identified Australian values as freedom, equality of men and women, the rule of law, democracy and “a fair go”, and claimed these were “uniquely Australian”.

    “They are shared with many other democracies but they are in and of themselves unique. There’s something uniquely Australian about them,” he said

    How can alleged ‘values’ be common with ‘many other democracies’ and yet be ‘uniquely Australian’?

    How can kicking people on welfare in the guts, sending them false robo-debt claims, insisting they start paying back money they don’t owe before anyone will look at their situation, slashing funding for domestic violence programs and legal aid centres, trying to destroy Medicare and all the other abysmal actions of this government be considered ‘a fair go’? How can a man (?) who presides over a ministry infamously lacking women even begin to talk about ‘equality of men and women’?

    Fizza is now a caricature of Howard, grovelling to the US and itching to get further into another pointless war, waffling about ‘mateship’ and ‘a fair go’ and ‘Australian values’ and making snide remarks about Muslims, just as Howard did. Turnbull is taking it a bit further though. We all know his citizenship changes are aimed at Muslims, even though hitting your female partner seems a very Australian thing and Muslims don’t usually practice female genital mutilation, it’s a cultural thing, not a religious thing.

    There’s a bit of a problem though. Fizza doesn’t know if he wants to be Howard or Abbott. Yesterday was Stunt Day – there he was, in Tasmania, dressed in a fluoro vest, just like Tony used to do. There was one added extra. Turnbull, having recently found out about pumped hydro power, was in full waffle about the wealth that could generate for Tasmania. Why. Tasmania could even become the battery for Australia, he waffled, supplying power to us all.
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-20/tasmania-hydo-power-output-to-double-under-plan-to-reuse-water/8457572

    The problem is Turnbull doesn’t really understand pumped hydro. He’s talking about building more dams in Tasmania. if he really knew what he was talking about with his ‘exciting and innovative’ pumped hydro then he’d know there’s no need for more dams. What is it with conservatives and dam building anyway? All you need for pumped hydro is a decent reservoir of water. You can even use the ocean, as they do in Japan. Tasmania, last time I looked, has a lot of sea available. This explains it –
    http://reneweconomy.com.au/pumped-hydro-the-forgotten-storage-solution-47248/

    The man is nuts. He doesn’t know who he is now. Is he Howard? Is he Tony? Is he Malcolm, former businessman and banker? Who knows? He doesn’t have a clue, so how are we supposed to know. He gets a half-baked idea into his head and he becomes fixated. Then he gets bored with it and moves on to another exciting idea. Nothing is ever followed through, nothing ever becomes real policy. Here’s an example. Remember his National Innovation and Science Agenda, with it’s ‘there’s never been a more exciting time…..’ blather? What happened to that? He’s just a dilettante, a chap with a butterfly brain pretending to be a prime minister.

  31. Forget it, Mathias: it’s in his DNA

    Mathias Cormann has again urged Tony Abbott to pull his head in, arguing his regular public interventions will help Bill Shorten become the next prime minister.

    The finance minister confirmed he engaged in a “very direct” conversation with Abbott about the desirability of working as a team, and he observed that the former prime minister’s “somewhat destructive” interventions made it hard for members of the government to defend his policy legacy.

    chttps://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/apr/21/tony-abbott-told-his-somewhat-destructive-interventions-will-help-shorten-be-next-pm

  34. Yeah, the ‘Australian Values’ thing from Turnbull and co is a touch of madness on their behalf. It’s impossible to sell it, primarily because they’ve been encouraging and exploiting selfishness and small-mindedness for so long. Nobody’s prepared for this sudden outburst of the Aussie spirit, because the Aussie spirit has been getting stood on for years. So much of the current government’s initiatives have been exclusionist – especially the defunding shutting down of so many social support agencies.

    In fact, we’ve been getting told for ages that we ‘can’t have good things’ – including proper healthcare, education, gender equality, decent welfare, workable broadband, alternative energy sources, an environment. We’ve also been taught to go looking for scapegoats for our woes – the ALP, unions, migrants, the unemployed, etc – and not to take responsibility for our actions because it can always be ‘someone else’s fault’. Nobody’s in the mood for these ‘Australian Values’ because none of those values have been on display for such a long time.

    If they were sincere, they would lead by example instead of telling us what we’re expected to do. They’d budget for social services, vow to look after the needy, work to make things affordable (starting with housing), take some serious action on climate change. But they’re not sincere. They’re just paying lip service again. And looking for a sneaky way to bring racism back into the national conversation too, so maybe they can do a bit more blaming.

    It’s more of the same-old, same-old, the usual elitism dressed up in new clothes. If they’re wondering why it’s falling flat on its face, and no poll bounce will come of it, it’s because we’re all used to this insincere crap by now, and we know some other stunt is just around the corner.

  36. Go for it Alan Jones . Mwahahahahah Truffles

    Powerful broadcaster Alan Jones today threatened to reveal private conversations which he says “won’t help the Liberal Party and won’t help Malcolm Turnbull.”

    Jones, Sydney’s highest-rating radio announcer, today dropped a non-nuclear bomb near the Turnbull bunker — but threatened worse to come.

    Tony Abbott, Jones said, had been “knifed by Pyne and Turnbull and their team of bed-wetters.”

    And of those who had leaked material against Abbott, he declared: “You’re picking one hell of a fight.”

    http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/john-lyons/alan-jones-unleashes-on-turnbull-and-his-team-of-bedwetters/news-story/f8b69f5f5601c3bd4fe5c47435e02762

    • Of all his problems, Malcolm Turnbull now has a new one — an angry broadcaster threatening to reveal private conversations

      Well,he has two or three at least on 2GB and maybe more somewhere else.

      This morning I was trapped listening to 2GB. I was waiting foir a blood test (just routine, noting to worry about) and they had the radio on Hadley’s show. Except Hadley wasn’t there, some other chap, Marlk Levy, was filling in, and he really had it in for Turnbull.

      He began by inviting listeners to phone in and tell him whether Turnbull’s latest action this week has won back support or is Turnbull still “a dud”. Then he let fly. Turnbull would only win back a few votes with his visa and citizenship changes. He’s trying to shut Tony Abbott up. If he has problems controlling Tony then he should not have “knifed him” in the first place. He ranted about Turnbull being a useless PM, gave a run-down on his past, said he’s been a successful businessman and banker -“Yes, that’s right, banker” (he practically spat that word at his microphone) and then – then it was my turn to be stabbed in the arm with a needle.

      I can’t tell you what the callers said because I didn’t listen. I thought about putting the radio on in the car but decided it wasn’t worth it.

      So Turnbull has Alan Jones off-side – that’s not exactgly news. Four days ago Jones said the Turnbull government deserves “a smashing” in the next election because they need to learn.
      http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/alan-jones-coalition-deserves-a-smashing-at-the-election-because-they-need-to-learn-20170417-gvm0oo.html

      Hadley has fallen out with Morrison, banned him from his show and gone with Abbott and Dutton instead. Hadley’s fill-in has also been following the 2GB script.

      If Turnbull has pissed off the big guns on 2GB then he’s dead in the water. He might as well announce his retirement right now and have done with it, leaving Tony or whatever other numpty the Liberals choose to replace him. It will be a poisoned chalice no matter who they choose.

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