Spring has sprung

joe6pack Uncategorized

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Warmth may be returning in a big way if these two idiots don’t settle down

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But life goes on

 

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Footy Finals are here. Good luck to all involved. ( Go The Cowboys )

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I can’t wait till this waste of time is over

 

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And Just to remind you all

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According to the big retailers.

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Chin up folks. Things can only get better

1,096 thoughts on “Spring has sprung”

  1. I’m just not on the ball these days, it seems I missed this event on Sat night/Sun morn –

    • That movie was part of a totally mind blowing evening for this little country kiwi teen at Uni. There was a double feature at the Student Union building and I went because of the first part being The Holy Grail. After that was Rocky Horror. I was discombobulated as to what I saw. Totally WTF!! have I just watched 🙂

  2. Be afraid, Big Brother is coming.

    The prime minister will use Thursday’s counter-terror summit to push premiers to hand over the pictures of every licensed driver in their state so federal agencies can build a national facial recognition data base.

    Access to the millions of licence pictures would allow surveillance cameras armed with facial recognition technology to scan crowds looking for a match with suspected terrorists and criminals.

    Government sources have told 9NEWS that the information on drivers’ licences is the “mother-load” it needs to build a powerful law enforcement tool

    http://www.9news.com.au/national/2017/10/03/17/58/chris-uhlmann-pm-to-use-counter-terror-meeting-to-push-for-drivers-licence-photo-database

    What could possibly go wormg? Knowing just how many IT fails this government has prwsided over, I’d say a whole lot will go wrong.

    When it does go wrong and you get arrested and charged with a terrorism offence this will happen –
    Terrorism Suspects To Be Held Up To 14 days Without Charge: PM Plan

    The Prime Minister is taking a plan to allow terrorism suspects to be interrogated for up to 14 days without charge to state and territory leaders on Thursday, while there are suggestions Premiers and Chief Ministers will be asked to hand over all Australian driver’s licence pictures to better track down local terrorists.

    The proposals plus a move on bail laws are understood to be on the agenda at a special terrorism-focused Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in Canberra, as well as a proposal by Malcolm Turnbull to create two new offences – to possess “instructional terrorist material” and to make terrorism hoaxes

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/10/03/two-weeks-without-charge-turnbulls-plan-to-empower-detention-laws_a_23230735/

    I see Dutton’s grubby fingerprints all over this.

  4. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.

    Waleed Aly has given a scathing assessment of US President Donald Trump’s response to the Las Vegas shooting massacre, calling the United States “a nation in denial”. “We’re all still reeling right now … But I think what’s shocked me most is how familiar this all feels,” he said. You have to agree with him.
    http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/the-projects-waleed-aly-decries-how-las-vegas-mass-shooting-has-become-incredibly-ordinary-20171003-gytq6y.html
    How the killer got has arsenal and 10000 rounds into his hotel room.
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/how-las-vegas-killer-brought-22-guns-and-10000-bullets-into-a-hotel-20171002-gyt3d5.html
    Why Trump will do nothing about the parlous situation. The country’s f****d, that’s why!
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/after-las-vegas-the-politics-of-gun-control-and-why-trump-wont-act-20171003-gytg4l.html
    The SH editor agrees. They will not learn.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/sadly-us-will-not-learn-from-latest-carnage-20171003-gytirg.html
    Mark Kenny makes some excellent points about American society and its polity.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/americas-freedom-fundamentalism-impervious-to-death-20171003-gyt8j0.html
    The man charged with selling Australia’s tough gun laws to regional Australia, former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, says US President Donald Trump needs to “get real” about the country’s gun problem. “The White House will produce slick statements saying now is not the time to enter any conversation on gun control,” he said.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/we-must-be-doing-something-right-and-the-us-something-massively-wrong-tim-fischer-20171003-gyt8rm.html
    The Washington Post says that those with the power to stop the killing will do nothing because they have no interest in doing so.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/those-with-the-power-to-stop-the-killing-have-no-interest-in-doing-so-20171002-gyt4q2.html
    Mourn the Las Vegas shooting, we’re told. But don’t ask why it happened writes Richard Wolffe.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/03/mourn-las-vegas-shooting-gun-control
    Some thoughts from a conflicted Las Vegas gun owner.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/as-a-longtime-gun-owner-i-wonder-what-to-say-about-the-carnage-of-las-vegas-20171002-gyt5r6.html

  5. Section 2 . . .

    Bruce Guthrie writes that US gun lunacy is going from bad to worse.
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2017/10/03/las-vegas-shooting-america-gun-lunacy/
    Graham Richardson not understand America or Americans. Whether it is a high school in Colorado, a primary school in Connecticut, or a music festival in Las Vegas, massacres with a gun just keep happening. He says that the greatest and most powerful nation in the world is utterly powerless to protect its citizens from themselves. Google
    /opinion/columnists/graham-richardson/not-even-the-las-vegas-shooting-can-get-the-us-talking-gun-reform/news-story/48f7a6f92f6a8c2e6ba2de0e23facbd7
    If you think the latest horrendous mass shooting in the United States will cause a shocked nation to stop and take stock, then you know very little about the history of American gun culture, or politics. Chris Graham reports.
    https://newmatilda.com/2017/10/03/58-cold-hard-facts-from-the-nation-that-just-brought-you-another-58-cold-dead-hands/
    Are our own gun laws in a bit of trouble?
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/10/03/australian-gun-laws-las-vegas/
    A Canberra public servant and “yes” advocate is taking legal action against the official “no” campaign vehicle, the Coalition for Marriage, alleging it defamed her by depicting her as an “extremist”.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/yes-advocate-accuses-coalition-for-marriage-of-defamation-over-extremist-label-20171002-gysihf.html
    The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has abandoned its neutral position on same-sex marriage in support of the ‘yes’ vote after suffering heavy criticism from its members and the wider community.
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/health/royal-australian-college-of-gps-endorses-marriage-equality-after-backlash-over-neutral-stance-20171002-gyt4ab.html
    Religious organisations have freedom under Australian law to practice their own doctrines and marriage rituals for weddings held in their buildings and by their celebrants. Nothing will change in this respect if SSM is legalised.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/if-samesex-marriage-is-legalised-churches-can-still-say-no-20171002-gysujo.html
    Labor MP Chris Hayes has spoken out to defend those who fear same-sex marriage could curb ¬religious freedoms, arguing that the issue of protection must be ¬addressed to ensure “laws do not violate one’s genuinely held ¬beliefs and conscience”. Here comes the rearguard action. Google.
    /news/nation/samesex-marriage-vote-chris-hayes-seeks-safeguards-for-religious-freedoms/news-story/6924d11e57e4d38bb28b1adb3720bab8

  6. Section 3 . . .

    Public support for same-sex marriage is on the rise in the latest Guardian Essential poll, and 47% of the sample say they have already voted in the postal survey. The weekly survey of 1,841 voters finds headline support for the legalisation of same sex marriage at 61%, compared with 58% a week ago, and opposition on 32%. Among people who have already voted, a clear majority have cast a yes vote – 64% say they’ve returned a yes ballot and 30% a no ballot. Oh, and Labor is back to a 54/46 lead.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/04/support-for-marriage-equality-rises-in-guardian-essential-poll
    The NSW Supreme Court has thrown out a defamation case launched against Opposition Leader Luke Foley over his claims that former Auburn mayor Ronney Oueik represented “self-interest, not community interest”. Good!
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/court-throws-out-former-mayors-defamation-case-against-opposition-leader-luke-foley-20171003-gyt9hw.html
    Superannuation funds owned by the big banks and AMP continue to dominate the ranks of the fat cats with high fees and poor performance. So why is the government going after the better performing industry funds?
    http://www.smh.com.au/money/fewer-poor-performing-super-funds–but-banks-still-worst-offenders-20171003-gyt73e.html
    The New Matilda is fighting fire with fire in its legal stoush with Channel Seven.
    https://newmatilda.com/2017/10/03/new-matilda-threatens-to-sue-channel-7-lawyers-for-unpaid/
    Population growth patterns mean votes cast in our biggest states are becoming less potent at the federal level compared to votes cast in smaller states. Analysis by economist Terry Rawnsley of how many federal members of parliament there are per person in each state has underscored the discrepancy.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/how-tasmanians-have-four-times-more-power-than-voters-in-nsw-and-victoria-20171003-gytdx0.html
    The majority of Liberal voters support a strong clean energy target, putting them at odds with the government over its hostile stance on the issue. A survey of more than 2000 Australians, commissioned by the Climate Council, found 77 per cent believed the government should implement Chief Scientist Alan Finkel’s clean energy target.
    http://thenewdaily.com.au/money/finance-news/2017/10/03/liberal-voters-back-clean-energy/
    A Senate committee that probed controversial penalty rate deals has recommended the Fair Work Act’s better-off-overall test be strengthened to ensure enterprise agreements delivered the best pay outcomes for workers. It was a majority report so don’t expect any action. Google.
    /national-affairs/industrial-relations/senate-call-to-change-workplace-laws-to-optimise-employee-pay/news-story/effa4e22fb7efe79dc93f2f6481aaad8
    Donald Trump seems addicted to violence. It shapes his language, politics and policies. He revels in a public discourse that threatens, humiliates and bullies.
    https://theconversation.com/donald-trumps-passion-for-cruelty-84819
    Are global neo-Nazism and far-right white supremacy are the new normal?
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/far-right-trio-convicted-but-the-seeds-of-the-fourth-reich-were-already-sown,10776

  7. Section 4 . . .

    Stephen Koukoulas says that retailers are facing a tough Christmas.
    https://thekouk.com/item/542-retailers-face-a-tough-christmas.html
    Will single-sex schools disappear by 2035?
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/singlesex-schools-will-disappear-by-2035-warns-education-body-20171002-gysk1a.html
    The High Court should disqualify Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce from parliament or risk rewarding “careless behaviour and “perpetuating destabilisation” in the political system, according to former Member for New England Tony Windsor via his legal representative Justin Gleeson SC. Google.
    /national-affairs/tony-windsor-takes-swipe-at-old-foe-barnaby-joyce/news-story/a0985df742e6b5d9110caf0aa853faff
    Adele Ferguson has a good look at the potential for corruption surrounding the awarding of mining licences.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/miners-leave-themselves-open-to-corruption-report-finds-20171003-gythoa.html
    Leave supporters among the British working class threw a tantrum in the Brexit referendum about immigration, and often complained about Europeans taking the jobs they themselves had refused to do, the Europe minister, Sir Alan Duncan, has said.
    https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/oct/03/brexit-vote-was-tantrum-by-british-working-class-says-alan-duncan
    A congestion tax for Melbourne?
    http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/call-for-driver-charge-to-ease-melbournes-peakhour-traffic-20171002-gysva6.html
    Along with other measures terrorism suspects could be interrogated for up to 14 days before being charged under a major shake up of Australia’s terrorism laws being proposed by the Turnbull government.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-pushes-for-law-to-detain-terror-suspects-for-up-to-14-days-before-charges-20171003-gytill.html
    Nicholas Stuart writes that the US banning of Kaspersky shows governments still don’t get it when it comes to cybersecurity.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/us-kaspersky-ban-shows-governments-still-dont-get-cybersecurity-20171003-gyta6g.html
    As local retailers worry about the arrival of Amazon destroying their business, the taxman will soon need to start worrying about how Amazon is going to work to minimise its tax bills.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/red-flags-raised-over-amazons-australian-tax-arrangements-20171002-gyso45.html

  8. Section 5 . . . Cartoon Corner

    Simon Letch sums up the US.

    As does this contribution from Cathy Wilcox.

    And does Paul Zanetti.

    Ouch! David Pope hits the US where it hurts.
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/david-pope-20120214-1t3j0
    Macca goes to Vegas.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/caca4e08a2e53c60eb359b0594447548?width=1024
    Ron Tandberg introduces whiteout Malcolm.

    A cutting epitaph from Fiona Katauskas.

    More good stuff from Fiona.

    Zanetti gives us the Australian Rocket Man Defence System.

    David Pope is wondering if Trump is about to get pulled down.

    Jon Kudelka on when it’s the time to talk about gun control in the US.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/e1b3a649ec70e487d650dcd6cb14a2f0

  9. “Zanetti gives us the Australian Rocket Man Defence System.”

    Did someone hand Malcolm the Air Warfare Destroyer script instead of the Future Frigate script?

    As I understand it, the AWD is supposed to be primarily for fleet air defence (planes, missiles); the Future Frigate is supposed to be primarily for anti-submarine warfare.

    You’d be mistaken for thinking it was now a ballistic missile defence shield against North Korea (which I assume was the point of the exercise.)

    Maybe they should rename it the New Frigates Initiative (NFI).

  12. It’s fairly obvious isn’t it?

    America has gone past the point of no return on guns. There are too many in circulation for a ban to make any real difference on current rates of slaughter. It would take a century – possibly a couple of them – to get gun ownership down to anything near the low levels of the rest of the civilized world.

    American gun nuts wouldn’t suddenly turn into meek law-abiding citizens, handing in their Armalites to the local sheriff’s office just because some law has been passed. The Supreme Court is unlikely to reverse a century of pro-gun decisions. Politicians on knife-edge majorities won’t suddenly grow a spine. The 9 out of 10 Hollywood movies that depict routine use and presence of guns as essential props to their plotlines won’t go all touchy-feely anytime soon.

    I guess what I’m saying is: they’re fucked. Their Freedom fetishes have reached their logical extrapolations. Their determination to settle issues with violence as an early option, and to laud those who use it as hero’s has borne it’s inevitable fruit.

    America? They can have it all to themselves.

  13. Click to access Essential-Report_031017.pdf

    http://kevinbonham.blogspot.com.au/2017/10/marriage-law-survey-turnout-is-high-but.html

    http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/victorian-liberal-executive-michael-pountney-resigns-after-alleged-involvement-in-antigonski-campaign/news-story/a00edcb3b6e5e5bec2030a8a518509a5 paywalled, google the URL or open via twitter

  14. My first visit to the US was in about 1978. I landed at San Francisco and the first civilian to speak to me as I exited Customs/Immigration was soliciting funds for some kind of anti Jane Fonda fund. His words were “gimme $5 so we can kill Jane Fonda.”
    Later in Oklahoma I sat next to a middle aged man at a cafeteria who regaled me with his plans to shoot the next black or Amerindian man who came knocking at his door for whatever reason as “trespassers”. He was salivating at the thought.
    Later again in Louisiana I met a man in a bar/restaurant who told me he always carried a Colt 45 inside his pants in the hope that an opportunity arose where he could shoot “some Niggers”.

  15. Jaeger

    As I understand it, the AWD is supposed to be primarily for fleet air defence (planes, missiles); the Future Frigate is supposed to be primarily for anti-submarine warfare.

    Certainly the initial specs for both types in the classic destroyer and frigate roles.

    Adding RIM-161 SM3 missiles to the frigate could be useful but you’d have to say that the compromises that will be required may make the frigates not particularly good at anything.

    Your suggestion of a N.F.I. class frigate a real possibility.

  18. Bob Hawke has lashed Malcolm Turnbull’s $122m postal survey on same-sex marriage as “the worst economic decision made by any Australian prime minister since federation”.

    Hawke made the comment at the National Press Club on Wednesday, joining the former Labor foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans in attacking the survey during the question and answer session of Evans’s speech about his book Incorrigible Optimist.

    Hawke argued that the postal survey “cannot produce a decision” because a bill to legislate marriage equality “still requires a vote of the parliament”.

    “Whatever the result of the vote is, it costs 122 million bloody dollars,” he said. “Can you imagine a prime minister would make a decision in these stringent times, spending $122m on a process that can’t produce the result when you could do so much to reduce the gaps [in Aboriginal health and education]?

    “Without any question, it’s the worst economic decision made by any Australian prime minister.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/04/bob-hawke-says-marriage-survey-the-worst-economic-decision-by-any-pm

    • Hawkie accidentally referred to ‘Malcolm Fraser’ when he made that comment. No-one seemed to mind.

  19. Speaking at a briefing shortly after his arrival, Trump told local officials: “I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack.

    …

    In Washington, the Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, said: “I don’t remember the president telling Texas that they threw our budget out of whack after [Hurricane] Harvey. Or Florida after Irma.”

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/03/puerto-rico-donald-trump-visit-hurricane-maria

  27. I’m not a big fan of white shoes either

    The Queensland government will move within days to ban developer donations to state political parties and local government candidates, the premier has said.

    Annastacia Palaszczuk flagged the developer donor ban and a change to conflict-of-interest rules in council votes within hours of Queensland’s corruption watchdog recommending them to combat perceptions that secretive, wealthy donors had “compromised” local government.

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/04/queensland-to-ban-developer-donations-after-corruption-watchdog-report

  29. I’ve never said this about a Joe H article before – its worth reading

  31. If I hear one more talking head mention ‘Loss Vegas” I will do something I might later regret.

    It’s ‘Los Angeles’ and ‘Las Vegas”. How hard is that to understand? If you can’t get your head around it just say ‘LA’ and ‘Vegas’ and spare me the cringing.

  32. What bugs me about the handing everyone’s photo ID over to the feds is their complete and utter incompetence when it comes to anything IT related. Would you trust Turnbull and Dutton with your biometric data? I most definitely would not.

    Shorten,of course, is all for it. He says it’s keeping Australians safe. Balls to that. He should know better.

    A few years ago my two sons were at Sydney airport, No 2 Son had driven his brother there and was saying goodbye before No 1 Son’s flight boarded. At that time No 2 Son was your typical scruffy uni student -l longish, surfie-blond hair, scruffy T-shirt, that sort of look. He was dragged off for examination by security because he apparently looked ‘suspicious’. No 1 Son was not questioned. Men is suits and ties were not pulled aside and questioned either. Apparently terrorists do not wear suits, shirts and ties but they do wear T-shirts and cargo shorts, and they most definitely have shoulder length blond hair.

    That sort of profiling has been going on for ages. Just imagine how many more targets will become available when every single person in the airport or at the footy or anywhere there are more than three people can be viewed and identified on security cameras.

    It’s ridiculous, this idea of Turnbull’s, it turns us all into a populace under surveillance and it sucks.

  33. Your taxes at work –

    ‘Disgusting’: Government spends $300k on 60 seconds of grand final advertising

    The government ran two 30-second TV ads – one during Saturday’s AFL final and another during Sunday’s NRL game – as part of its multimedia “Powering Forward” campaign, which claims the government is bringing down power prices and improving energy reliability.

    The ads ran in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/disgusting-government-spends-300k-on-60-seconds-of-grand-final-advertising-20171003-gytvxq.html

    it might not have been so bad if the ads were not blatant lies.

  34. I don’t vouch for his figures (though I have no reason to doubt them), but according to Michael Moore, 77% of Americans don’t actually own a gun, and nearly 90% of them do want stronger gun control. He also claims that although there are over 300 million guns in US homes, half of those are owned by just 3% of the population.

    There’s a strong argument that the gun lobby in the US is not only acting against the best interests of US citizens, it’s also acting against their wishes.

  35. Turnbull government faces questions over Snowy Hydro 2.0 as firm banned over corruption allegations

    An arm of the company tasked with advising the Turnbull government on its signature infrastructure project, Snowy Hydro 2.0, has been banned by the World Bank for alleged bribery and corruption, prompting further calls for a federal anti-corruption watchdog.

    Federal Labor has demanded the Turnbull government reassure taxpayers the project remains on track, and the Greens have suggested the matter underscores the need for a corruption commission to oversee government agencies

    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-government-faces-questions-over-snowy-hydro-20-as-firm-banned-over-corruption-allegations-20171004-gyu7q4.html

  39. Read this if you’ve ever used google to dodge a paywall

    Worth reading for the bit about The Daily Mail

  40. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.

    In a well constructed contribution this retired psychologist looks at the problem of messed-up men. His descriptions of certain politicians are well worth looking at in their own right.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/las-vegas-shooting-is-part-of-the-wider-problem-of-messedup-men-20171003-gyttsg.html
    John Warhurst on John Howard, the permanent politician. Warhurst looks at Howard’s intervention in the SSM campaign. He often refers the Howard’s stubbornness and conservative misreading of community sentiment. The insidious Lyons Forum gets a run too.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/samesex-marriage-survey-john-howard-the-permanent-politician-20171004-gyu5ka.html
    I can’t bring myself to read this from Michaelia Cash where she says there is a silver lining with the death of our car industry.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/the-silver-lining-in-the-death-of-our-car-industry-20171004-gyu437.html
    Richard Glover writes about how Australia beat the gun lobby and introduced gun control.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/how-australia-beat-the-gun-lobby-and-passed-gun-control-20171003-gytvn4.html
    Jennifer Hewett says America is no place for gun control. Google.
    /opinion/columnists/the-united-states-is-no-country-for-gun-control-20171004-gyuaiu
    Politics is the only barrier to modernising Australia’s ageing electricity system, according to a synthesis report by the Climate Council. The council found there was agreement among a series of major independent reports that there were no technological or economic barriers to a clean, secure, affordable and reliable grid.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/05/australias-politics-only-barrier-to-clean-energy-system-report-finds
    Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane explains that stopping racism is everyone’s responsibility.

    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/stopping-racism-is-everyones-responsibility-20171004-gytwd0.html
    Now we have uni placement scalping!
    http://www.smh.com.au/national/education/students-offering-up-to-10000-for-places-after-law-classes-fill-up-in-seconds-20171004-gytz6a.html
    The gunman behind the Las Vegas festival shooting asked to be upgraded to an adjoining room with a “better view” and refused to let housekeeping in for three days before unleashing a massacre that has emerged as being planned to a chilling degree. ??????
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/meticulous-planning-but-motive-remains-elusive-in-las-vegas-shooting-20171004-gytydg.html
    Gladys Berejiklian is set to reap more than $10 billion from another wave of sell-offs: $5bn from privatising half of the WestConnex Sydney motorway and $5bn-$6bn from selling the state’s interest in the Snowy hydro scheme to the federal government. Google.
    /national-affairs/state-politics/berejiklian-to-reap-10bn-selloff-bonanza/news-story/af501c7552d8877cc450a942f5635607

  41. Section 2 . . .

    Privacy advocates have lashed a proposal by the Turnbull government that would see state and territory leaders hand over the identities of millions of Australian drivers in a bid to toughen national security laws.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-government-to-push-states-to-hand-over-all-drivers-licences-20171003-gytshq.html
    Is Theresa May on the skids?
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/theresa-mays-hopes-for-reset-dashed-with-nightmare-from-hell-speech-to-tory-conference-20171004-gyuibd.html
    Boris Johnson has destroyed the Tories so now he should own the wreckage.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/05/helping-someone-die-well-is-the-final-act-of-caring-i-can-give-as-a-doctor
    US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has refuted claims that he almost quit the Trump administration, while his department says he did not call President a ‘moron’. Seems believable!
    http://www.smh.com.au/world/secretary-of-state-rex-tillerson-says-he-did-not-call-donald-trump-a-moron-20171004-gyuior.html
    Building ministers will consider a ban on the importation of combustible aluminium composite panels of the type that were implicated in the rapid spread of London’s Grenfell Tower fire in June, which killed at least 80 people. The ban is one of several measures on the agenda to toughen up building standards in Australia when the state and federal ministers responsible for building meet on Friday.
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/oct/05/australia-considers-import-ban-on-flammable-cladding-after-grenfell-tower-fire
    There is a double standard in the United States when it comes to talking about terrorism. The label is reserved almost exclusively for when it’s talking about Muslims.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/04/lone-wolf-white-terrorist-las-vegas
    Mark Kenny reviews the appearance of Bob Hawke and Gareth Evans at the NPC yesterday. Hawke gave Turnbull a god kick in the goolies.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/a-reflective-gareth-evans-with-a-twist-of-vintage-bob-hawke-20171004-gyu842.html
    The SMH editorial tells the Grants Commission to back off.
    http://www.smh.com.au/comment/smh-editorial/gst-fairness-smothered-in-coal-seam-gas-20171004-gyu9d4.html
    Practising GP Nick Carr says that supporting assisted dying takes nothing away from anyone, but provides enormous comfort to a very small group of people.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/05/helping-someone-die-well-is-the-final-act-of-caring-i-can-give-as-a-doctor
    Judith Ireland has had enough and says, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the climate change debate!”
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/if-you-cant-stand-the-heat-get-out-of-the-climate-change-debate-20171003-gytukv.html

  42. Section 3 . . .

    Adani’s proposed $900 million loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) always looked more like a drunken punt than actual investment. Julien Vincent writes that bailing out Adani is the definition of absurd.
    http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/adani-could-be-derailed-if-900m-loan-denied-20171004-gyu4iv.html
    Why, if Adani’s gigantic Carmichael coal project is so on-the-nose for the banks and so environmentally destructive, are the federal and Queensland governments so avid in their support of it? Michael West also has a look at our relationship with his company.
    https://www.michaelwest.com.au/bad-deal-bad-partner-why-adani/
    An arm of the company tasked with advising the Turnbull government on its signature infrastructure project, Snowy Hydro 2.0, has been banned by the World Bank for alleged bribery and corruption, prompting further calls for a federal anti-corruption watchdog. Well how about that!
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/turnbull-government-faces-questions-over-snowy-hydro-20-as-firm-banned-over-corruption-allegations-20171004-gyu7q4.html
    According to one pollster it’s all but over for the NO campaign – unless people are straight out lying.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/yes-vote-unbeatable-unless-a-lot-of-people-are-straight-out-lying-says-pollster-20171004-gytxsg.html
    Trump’s visit to the hurricane-stricken island – in which he threw paper towels and bags of rice into a crowd – seemed to be an exercise of self-congratulation.
    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/04/trump-puerto-rico-emperor-pomp-hurricane-maria
    Catalonians call for a national strike in response to Madrid’s repressive actions as the world waits to see whether this will be met with further violence. Europe is watching nervously.
    https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/europe-watches-nervously-as-spain-represses-catalonias-independence,10779
    There’s yet more proof that coal is neither cheaper nor more reliable than renewables as an energy source, and that coal is only going to get more expensive in the future. So why are we so wedded to coal?
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2017/10/04/the-myth-about-coal-being-cheaper-and-more-reliable_a_23231954/?utm_hp_ref=au-homepage
    Australia’s record of 26 years without a recession flatters to deceive. The gaudy numbers mask serious flaws in the country’s economic model. Will our luck run out?
    http://www.canberratimes.com.au/business/the-economy/australias-economic-luck-looks-to-be-running-out-20171003-gytstx.html
    This newly appointed judge in Victoria certainly aired his feelings over the SSM issue.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/our-love-is-equal-new-victorian-judge-tells-his-husbandinwaiting-20171003-gyt6ld.html
    Michael Danby, you dill!
    http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/labor-mp-michael-danby-used-taxpayer-funds-for-ad-attacking-abc-journalist-sophie-mcneill-20171004-gyu554.html

  43. Section 4 . . . with Cartoon Corner

    Now Melbourne’s measles outbreak has spread to Sydney.
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydney-health-issues-two-measles-alerts-20171003-gytrls.html
    A Chinese “self-healing promoter” accused of causing the death of a six-year-old boy allegedly described Western medicine as “poison” and encouraged diabetics to participate in slapping therapy instead of taking their insulin. WTF!!!!
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/slapping-therapist-accused-of-causing-boys-death-said-western-medicine-was-poison-court-told-20171004-gyu49s.html
    The acting president of Queensland Parole Boards has hit back at claims its members are “amateurs” who lack relevant experience and training.
    https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/we-aren-t-amateurs-parole-board-hits-back-at-criticism-20171004-p4yw9h.html

    Cathy Wilcox looks at the Queensland government’s motives over Adani.

    Ron Tandberg makes a good point here.

    Mark David nails it!

    So does David Rowe.

    And Peter Broelman!

    David Pope on when it is the time to talk about gun control.
    http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/federal-politics/cartoons/david-pope-20120214-1t3j0
    Sean Leahy looks at the economics of the massacre.

    Alan Moir and loyalties.

    America’s getting a real pasting.

    Macca heralds Jeff Kennett’s return to the AFL fold.
    http://cdn.newsapi.com.au/image/v1/4b70c53b4c5af014e57c8d3527d72024?width=1024

  44. That Govt ad was aired at least once on SBS

    It was a shocker, last few seconds are all I can remember, “and we’re building Snowy 2 and blah blah we are building the worlds biggest solar storage battery”

    I don’t know how my TV survived that.

  46. John Warhurst quoting Peter Brent –
    “most Australians retain positive feelings towards Howard and his government” and that he “routinely tops the poll figures for ‘best’ recent prime minister”.

    Pffft!

    Howard was the most divisive and most hated PM I can remember. If a majority (definitely not ‘most’) see him in the way Brent describes it’s because (a) they are too stupid to be able to name more recent PMs and (b) because the media have been telling us for ages, without any proof, that Howard was the best.

    The true nature of Howard’s alleged popularity was seen in November 2007, when the country not only strongly rejected him and his miserable, lying, war-mongering government, but most unusual for a Prime Minister, his own electorate also booted him out.

    • Danby is obsessed with Sophie McNeill, he accused her of having double standards when reporting on Israel and Palestine.

      It goes further than just Danby though. A dossier on McNeill was given to Jewish members of the ABC board in 2015 and other journalists say they were pressured by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council. There’s more – from July this year –

      Pro-Israel advocates in Australia targeted three journalists, new book claims
      John Lyons says he was put under constant pressure when covering the Middle East for the Australian, and so were ABC reporters Sophie McNeill and Peter Cave
      https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jul/29/pro-israel-advocates-in-australia-targeted-three-journalists-new-book-claims

  50. Angela Merkel secured a fourth term as Chancellor when her Christian Democrats won 32.9% of the vote in the national election on September 24th. The result was influenced by her principled approach to migration, which had polarized the country, but did not stop her from being re-elected. In addition, new data shows that her migration policies are good for Germany’s democracy, argue Nathalie Ebead and Adina Trunk.

    https://www.thelocal.de/20171004/opinion-angela-merkels-principled-approach-to-migration-is-good-for-democracy

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