Rudd On Bolt

I’ll give Prime Minister Rudd some credit, not many Labor MP’s are willing to go on The Bolt Report.  He wanted an immediate point of difference to Julia Gillard.  She was unwilling to appear and Rudd was.  Already a win for Rudd, and he hasn’t said anything yet.

From what he said his supporters would congratulate.  Purely because he didn’t allow Bolt to land any ‘killer blows’.

Yet from the beginning Rudd belittled Bolt as “a conservative”, as if that was a bad thing to be.  He interrupted continually, answered long-windedly and robbed Bolt of points of clarification and follow up questions.

His answers seemed rehearsed.  As did his claim that his ad nauseum responses were “a direct answer” to the questions.  He was condescending, patronising and narcissistic.

Rudd admitted that he needed to engage with conservatives then insulted the Liberal Party by calling them an “ungodly kabal”.

Yet unfortunately it doesn’t really matter what we think of his performance.  He appeared, and to enough people that’s all that matters.

Feminism Has Worked

It’s time to tone down the ‘girl power’ attitude.  The ‘I am woman hear me roar’ cry

Feminism has accomplished many great things in advancing the cause of women.  Women now have more choice than ever before.  The problem is that if a woman makes a choice that doesn’t align with the militant feminists, then that woman is ridiculed.

The earnings differential between men and women is a major cause of angst amongst the militant feminists.  In pushing for wage equality they ignore the free choices women make in being homemakers or employed in lower paid occupations such as teaching and nursing.  Women in these occupations do so largely by choice and those that choose this path generally get where they want to go career wise.

The militant feminists are in the minority yet they are the most vocal.  They shouldn’t be allowed to misrepresent their sex in this fashion.  They don’t stand up for the ‘rights’ of women.  If they did they would celebrate women having the freedom to make a choice that was deemed in their best interests.

Instead they insult women for not making the same choice as them. 

Foreign Aid

There has been much media attention towards the foreign aid part of the budget.  Namely how it was not increased, as once promised.

I feel like the focus on foreign aid is enhancing the entitlement culture that is prospering at the moment.  All types of government handouts leads to decreased individual giving as the belief that the government will take care of it becomes prolific.  We become reliant on the government for our generosity.

Perhaps foreign aid advocates should change their focus.  Ignore the government and let them do with the foreign aid budget what they like.  Encourage individuals to be generous and give financially or their time to one of the numerous non-government organisations.

I have no doubt that this way the money will be better spent anyway.

Having It All

A big thankyou to Julie Bishop this week.  She is the first high profile female politician I've heard point out the fallacy that women are able to ‘have it all’.

‘It all’ usually means having a happy family and a burgeoning corporate career.  Women have been lied to by the feminism movement.  Sacrifices have to be made.  It’s a fact of life.  We need to put our selfish goals aside if we plan to have children. This belief that they can ‘have it all’ must have hurt so many families over the past few decades.

The same applies to men.  Only difference is that we never had a movement telling us we could have it all.  We had the feminism movement telling us we weren’t any good at anything so women had to do it all.

There ought to be no pressure to ‘have it all’.  It all won’t last.

All Envy

I had a conversation with a colleague about the big banks.

It came up because I mentioned how my wages get paid into my account late in the evening.  My colleague told me that it’s because the banks hold onto the money as long as possible in order to make some money off my wages.

Of course the vibe of his speech was ‘how dare the banks earn a profit from wages’.  I retorted by saying that I don’t begrudge banks earning big profits.  I prefer this to a profitless bank.

If it’s true that banks hold onto my money for profit, then how clever of them.  As long as I get paid the right amount at the end of the day and the bank doesn’t go broke.  I’m not missing it, as long as it comes.

Then his theme turned to the fees charged by banks.  But what do we really want from our banks?  We want them to look after our money.  They are doing that well and truly.  The varying levels of success in achieving this depends on opinion.

Then came the topic of large salaries received by bank executives.  People would say they could do the job.  But really they couldn’t, and wouldn’t.  They earn a lot of money mainly because it’s a hard job and to get the best person the banks need to offer remuneration.  Of course we would all like to earn that money, but it’s pure envy to insult the bank bosses based on their salaries.

We call the banks greedy for earning profits, charging fees and paying executives large salaries.  But we don’t look at ourselves and our greed and envy.

Niche to Fill

Must have been a slow news day.

Channel 9 News claimed that new retail fashion house, Zara, is missing out on part of the market as they don't stock 'plus size' clothing.

This is a pointless thing to say!!

It's not as if Zara forgot to send the specs for 'plus size' outfits to their manufacturer.  This is not a silly mistake that needs correction from the self-appointed fashion police.  No, this is a deliberate act from the retailer to target a specific part of the market.  They are obviously confident that they can sell a lot of clothes despite the narrow size range.  It's their prerogative and good luck to them.

The 'niche' of 'plus size' women's fashion has largely been filled by other fashion houses such as sixteentwentysix and mysize.  If there is a hole in the market then it will be filled.  For if there is money to be made then there is always someone who will want to make it.  It is one of the joys of the free market.

This news story though was just a chance for 'plus size' women to play the victim-of-discrimination card.  Perhaps the Zara stuff won't suit larger body shapes anyway.

Not About The Chocolate

Pro Palestine groups recently marched on a Max Brenner outlet in Parramatta in order to promote their cause.  What doesn’t make sense to most would be their choice of protest venue.

Max Brenner is a fine chocolate house.  His products are amazing.  So what do they have against it?

Is it their products?  Too sweet perhaps?  Too rich?

Perhaps their mugs?  They are odd shapes and sizes.

No, they don’t like Max Brenner because their parent company provides chocolate to the Israeli defence forces.  That’s where their actual protest is directed.  Then why not get on the first flight to the Middle East and join the Palestinian forces.  Surely a much more effective form of venting ones disgust at a perceived enemy.

I would not expect them to do such a thing, as they are too cowardly.  Their alternate form of protest suits this trait well.  Plus they are just plain wrong about their cause.  They will use anything they can to insult Israel.  They abhor its existence, for no particular reason, and will do whatever it takes to eradicate its people.

Third World?? Hardly!

“It’s like the third world in here,” proclaimed a well dressed random patient relation to by standing nurse and paramedic in an emergency department.  She appeared serious and genuine in her derision.  She had just witnessed a patient have a seizure in the corridor awaiting a bed.

Say what you like about the health system.  We all have our criticisms.  Some have legitimate basis.  But we are lucky and blessed to have our health care.  It’s the furthest thing from the third world you might ever see.

People from the third world would definitely show more gratitude at having such health care.  They would feel privileged, as should we all.

The Boofhead

Ray Hadley called Wayne Swan a boofhead and a liar.  Then Swan demands an apology from Hadley.

How stupid is Wayne Swan?  And he’s in charge of the treasury, you’re money.  He’s just given Hadley more ammunition to call him a boofhead, a liar and probably much worse, until he is long forgotten from parliamentary circles.

Swan can’t even dispute the liar accusation.  Now Hadley will play the lie twice as much on his top rating radio talkback show.  The boofhead tag is just a matter of opinion.  Hadley shouldn’t be required to apologise for an opinion.

If Swan is so concerned about changing Hadley’s opinion of him then the onus is on Swan to act less boofheadish in the eyes of Hadley.

Although it’s instances like this and many others that only go to proving Hadley’s assertion.

Not His Fault

Criticising Shane Warne for sharing his exploits on the poker tour is just another case of passing the responsibility of individual choices onto someone or something else.

It’s claimed that Warne was using his profile to promote gambling.  They make the presumption that his constant tweets will cause other people to start gambling.  This will lead to problem gambling.

If someone does start gambling because of Shane Warne’s tweets, and this gambling becomes an addiction, then that is the individual’s choice.  It is a stupid decision.  We should support this person if they choose to end their addiction but it has nothing to do with Shane Warne.

It might be wise for Shane to tone done the tweets about whatever chips he has on the table.  Regardless, it’s not his fault if people follow his lead and then lose big.

That was their decision.  They will feel the full ramifications of their actions.  The responsibility falls directly on their shoulders.

Shooters Harpooned

Have you noticed the negative portrayal by the Greens of licensed shooters now that there’s a proposal to allow them into national parks to shoot and kill certain animals?

The greens are up in arms and are cranking the scare machine into top gear referring to shooters as irresponsible, manic, wasteful, barbaric, trigger-happy, amongst many others.  If the Greens are to be believed then these shooters wantonly shoot at hikers.

The reality is quite the opposite.  Licensed shooters are highly skilled, they respect the weapon they are using.  They are sensible, not wasteful, as every bullet costs money and they sometimes like to take the carcus away.  They are respectful of others and the animals they are shooting.  They know how to kill it without undue stress to the animal. Also, lets not forget they are registered, and one false move results in removal of gun licenses forever.  These guys are highly regulated in the storage and use of their weapon, if they want to keep using it they will use it properly.  They are not stupid.

Also the animals they will be allowed to shoot are feral, in plague proportions and usually introduced species reeking havoc on our ecosystem. 

Shooters are better environmentalists that those who claim to be ‘green’.  These ‘do gooders’ don’t see the bigger picture.  An increase in feral animals equals increased damage to environment and therefore endangering native animals.

Fever

I find it embarrassing and amusing watching thousands of young girls screaming for pop singer Justin Bieber.

They share their unyielding devotion.  They ask him to marry them.  Why is it then that they seem oblivious to the fact that he already has a girlfriend?  I bet Selena Gomez doesn’t carry on like these fanatical admirers do.

If one of these fan girls that love him so much actually got to meet him they wouldn’t be able to talk to him.  They would be so taken by his presence that their tongue would be rendered useless and they would look foolish.

They love him, want to marry him, yet they wouldn’t be able to talk to him.  That sounds like a great relationship.

If his career didn’t rely so much on their screaming masses I would like to think that he would abhor such behaviour.  It will be interesting to see what happens as he grows up.  Hopefully these girls grow up to and see the folly of their ways.

Stubborn or Just Realistic

The older generation, especially those that lived through war times, tend to be stubborn when it comes to the administration of health care.  “I’ll be right”, they say casually.

I like this attitude and more people should adopt it, however it has its flaws.

The elderly tend to only ask for help when they really, really need it.  This can result in the request coming too late for help to be effective.

Younger people need to take a leaf out of the book of the older generations.  Don’t be too proud to ask for help but be realistic.  There’s no need to be impetuous, and get majorly worked up immediately.  Just look at the bigger picture regarding your condition.  Is it really and emergency or can I wait to see my GP?  Sometimes a good sleep works wonders. 

Seems that the further we get away from war times the more spoilt we become and we don’t know how to deal with the smallest amount of suffering.

Here We Go Again

The Project covered a story about the ‘glass ceiling’ women have to break through to climb the corporate ladder. 

Natasha Stott-Despoja was on.  She claimed that we’ve had years to deal with this “problem”.  Really? Problem?  We’re still forgetting that most working women have no intent on climbing the corporate ladder.  Rather they are very willing in sacrificing some career advancement to have children.  It’s only the vocal minority that see this as a “problem”.

Some bozo was calling for quotas of women working in public and private sectors.  As if the current ‘targets’ aren’t bad enough.  Quotas and targets defeat the purpose for which they were intended.  Instead of gaining a job on merit, which is what all the complainers say they want, they will now get it potentially on tokenism.  Or there may be the continual speculation of whether it was gained on tokenism.  This would create immense pressure to perform.

Feminists want a level playing field.  But there never will be.  Men and women are different.  Why is that people continually need to be told that?  We have different aptitudes.  Men have strengths in leadership.  Women have strengths in nurturing.  This isn’t to say that women can’t lead and men aren’t nurturing.  It’s a generalisation, because it’s generally true.

A case study from Norway was shown and it featured some interesting consequences from its policy of quotas.  The policy was bound to all publicly listed companies.  So they found that many publicly listed companies got out of the stock exchange.  They also found that there were boards with women directors but it turned out to be the same women on multiple boards.  So no net gain for women in Norway.

People need to really think about what they aim to achieve by such policies and look at their potential side effects.

SUV Phenomenon

There seems a growing trend of SUV’s becoming the family car.  It is especially the case of those made by prestigious European brands.  Not sure why.  Perhaps being higher off the road is the main attraction, or an ego thing.  I thought being higher off the road represents a desire to go off the road.

But can you imagine taking an Audi, Porsche, Mercedes or Renault SUV off the road?  I doubt it.  Especially one with shiny rims as they all seem to have as a standard feature from the factory.

Sporting a European SUV might suggest an eye for quality, superior engineering.  Yet the BMW version is not good off road, if you take the word of Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear.  As a result it can’t be considered superior engineering for an on road car as its SUV features usually detract from its on road capabilities.

So you’re left with an overpriced status symbol.  If that’s what you want then good for you.  But there are plenty of worthwhile alternatives.  How about a Toyota Landcruiser for proper off road capabilities.  If you want European then go for the sedan of your favourite make.  The Subaru Forrester is a good compromise of road and all wheel drive, plus its very reliable.  But if you must go an SUV then consider a Ford Territory, it’s cheaper and arguably better.

Anonymous

It appears that I have gained an interesting follower of my blog. But not the kind you would want to brag about.

This follower insists on remaining anonymous or using a pseudonym. He or she continually and repeatedly mocks what is written in blog posts. He or she has even resorted to rude and vulgar language. He or she revels in insulting me and other commenters. Nothing constructive is ever written in response to a blog post. The context becomes irrelevant. None of these I will tolerate.

Behaviour of this type appears to be an unfortunate by-product of blogging. People, like this commenter, seem to take great delight in being cowardly. Behaving in such a fashion while remaining anonymous.

Such people should take a good hard look at themselves and acknowledge the need to get a life. Stop wasting your time on my little blog. I will pray for you while deleting your comments.

Ready For Good

Prior to Barrack Obama being elected it was asked, “Are we ready for a black President?” 

Hillary Clinton was his main rival to become the Democrat candidate. It was being asked, “Are we ready for a woman President?”

In the latest race for the Republican nomination one of the leading candidates is Mitt Romney, a Mormon. It is being asked, “Are we ready for a Mormon President?”

Enough of the questioning already. We are ready for anything. As long as they are good at what they are elected to do.

Unfortunately since being elected Obama has not lived up to expectations. He has failed in so many ways. A lot would argue that he has been a bad president. Yet his failings had nothing to do with his skin colour. He simply wasn’t a good president. It should not be surprising given the messiah complex over him generated by an Oprah fuelled general public. He was doomed to fail.

Our media had similar questions. “Are we ready for a female Prime Minister?” Though initially we didn’t have the choice. She knifed her predecessor deceitfully and has been going downhill ever since. There was just enough sentimental feminist support to get her over the line in the following election. There seemed to be a lot of silly women voting purely based on gender. She has been a bad Prime Minister. But her failings had nothing to do with her being a woman.

So stop asking the questions. The answer is always the same.

Is America ready for a woman president?

Yes, if she’s good!!

Is America ready for a Mormon president?

Yes, if he or she is good!!

Australia was ready for a female prime minister.

Problem though, she wasn’t good.

The Mud Won’t Stick

Shame on one for having an opinion in a time where the only opinions allowed to be spoken are those in favour of the loudest voice. Doesn’t matter a fig the truthfulness of its content. Perhaps I have now gained a glimpse into the lives of truth seekers such as Messrs Jones, Hadley and Bolt.

Here’s a statement of mine from a social network website (granted not the greatest forum for sensible debate and discussion)

Marriage = one man + one woman. It's not discrimination. It's design. It's the differences that unite us and make us "one flesh".

Most comments were supportive, but there were a couple of negative comments that leave one slightly perplexed:

“Are you serious... I have never read such a pile of bullshit in all my life... Yeah u are entitled to your opinion... But what a narrow minded opinion it is...good luck to you”
 

“Oh dear. How very sad. You ignorant homophobes just don't get it at all do you? I actually pity you guys.... If your [sic] going to be an ignorant bigot come out and say it, don't hide behind some religious bullshit”

Some aspects of these comments I find particularly interesting

“Never read…” and “Ignorant” – the writer has never read such a pile of BS yet I am the one who is ignorant. Ignorance means a lack of information or knowledge. Believe me, I have heard and read of the issue of gay marriage. How can you not? Their lobby is small yet very vocal. They make themselves heard. It has been discussed many times around our dinner table. For a supposed small issue it sure takes up much news coverage. Perhaps the reader should do some research on the alternate viewpoint. Yes, there is one. Here’s a good starting point!

“Narrow Minded” – well yes one must admit this to a degree if you have an opinion. See once you have formed an opinion you become narrow to that opinion. But one does keep an open mind to reassess one’s opinions. Be reassured my opinions are well thought out and discussed with peers.

“Homophobe” – one of my least favourite words being used today. Overused by the gay lobby to slander anyone not in favour of their persuasion. By definition a phobia is an abnormal fear. Therefore homophobia is the abnormal fear of homosexuals. If I were a homophobe I would not go near one let alone have them on my social network friend list.

“Bigot” – my thoughts on this word are similar to being labelled a homophobe. A bigot is someone utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief or opinion. It’s a severe label and one that should not be thrown around lightly, yet here it is.

“Religious” – my definition would differ to others. Being a Christian does not equal being religious. Footy fans or political followers can be equally as religious if not more so. Gay and Lesbian lobbyists are more religious than a lot of Christians, think about it.

“I…pity you guys” – oh how condescending. But why should we be pitied?

“Hiding” – what the? Airing an opinion is hardly hiding. If I were hiding these people would not have come back with such slander.

With all this being said would it be surprising that it appears these people have since deleted and / or blocked me from the friend list?

Ironic. After all, this response could be seen as rather bigoted, religious, ignorant and narrow-minded.

Watery Tales

One evening I watched a video of African women collecting water. Proceeding the video came the imperative from the speaker to “let it speak to your heart”. In other words, get caught up in the emotion of the vision. I guess I was supposed to be aghast that they don’t have the luxury of clean water on tap like we do in this country.

Rather than get emotional I saw great resourcefulness, community, commitment and skill. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it. To my surprise following the vision the speaker got choked up and needed a moment to compose themselves.

The vision was beautiful but not emotional. A community making the most out of their situation. The women were smiling as they collected the water. They are probably happier and more faithful to God than we are, despite being in what we would consider a dire situation.

The speaker made the good point that we in Australia are very wasteful in comparison. Very true, we have everything yet throw it away. They have little and make the most of every last drop.

So are we wishing a western standard upon them? I get that vibe sometimes with presentations like these. Instead, lets take a leaf out of their book. We can learn a lot from them, and that will make this world a better place. 

Parents & Their Phones

There was a segment on an FM radio station asking the question, “Would you agree with a ban on phones at childrens sporting events?”

One the hosts had observed a culture of parents being physically present at their child’s sporting activities yet being mentally and emotionally absent. Instead giving their full attention to their smart phones. Not making calls or texts but for the games. Meanwhile their children are out on the field/pitch/court/etc trying to achieve success and crave some acknowledgement from the people that matter the most.

It is beside the point that the wording of the question is poor. They weren’t actually calling for a blanket ban on phones. Rather they wanted the matter raised in our individual conscience so that we may reconsider our priorities and ban ourselves from our phones in given situations.

One caller suggested that children shouldn’t rely on their parent’s praise to attain success. True, but surely they need it regardless. Otherwise you create emotionally stunted adults with mummy/daddy issues.

Granted that some jobs require the ability to be contacted at all times. Even then, perhaps a change in vocation would be in order to gain some work/life balance.

It’s a good idea. Put the phone away. Turn it off. Bury it in your handbag. These moments with your children done last long.