Category: Personal Thoughts

Faith in union official repaired


I was just listening to Neil Mitchell on 3AW and Kathy Jackson, the Health Services Union Secretary, was responding to his questions in a refreshingly straight and honest manner. What a change – a breath of fresh air. She was also on ABC’s “Lateline” last night and here’s the transcript.

http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2011/s3301509.htm

Kathy Jackson said she and the union formed a view that there was misuse and misappropriation of funds, and she and the union formed a view as to who the perpetrator was. She said however that as the matter was being investigated, she would not name the person. Neil Mitchell concluded the interview by telling his listeners that the person was obviously Craig Thomson.

Kathy Jackson also urged (in the Lateline interview) Fairwork Australia or the police to provide feedback quickly. It is disgraceful for Fairwork Australia – stacked by Labor Party appointees, according to Michael Smith of 2UE in the Paul Murray Live program on Sky News last night – to have taken ages (a couple of years now) to investigate this allegation when a first year police officer would have concluded it in weeks, if not days.

My mistrust and dislike for union people has been abated by the likes of Kathy Jackson. Those workers of menial jobs in hospitals and related services appear to have someone genuinely concerned with protecting their interests.

Related articles

Lucky Country, Mr Thomson?


The Health Services Union and the NSW Police, have at long last, decided to act and take the next step to formally investigate Craig Thomson for possible criminal breaches. Madame Prime Minister is unlikely to sleep well now. Who knows, Craig Thomson may well be the one to bring an end to the carbon tax stupidity. Talk about serendipity and Australia being the lucky country.

Taking after a recent tendency amongst some of my dearest beloved to romanise the Hokkien dialect – “Gong Gong Chia Ti Kong”. Translated loosely, it means (I think) that the heavens show mercy on the simple-minded, or the perhaps literally, “fools are fed by the heavens”.

Craig Thomson could well turn out to be the saviour of Australia.

Related articles

Noisy Neighbours Near but United Shows Class


And we’re off… this morning’s game was really good to watch, especially since I only watched it from the second half on. Wellbeck, Anderson (his especially) and Rooney all finished really good moves. After City’s impressive display a day earlier, it was good to lay the markers down for the red side of Manchester. Apparently Spurs have now come to Old Trafford without a win for 22 years. Long may they remain in the Premier League… 🙂

Another year, another season. After last year’s less than expectant start, it is really good to start, albeit uncharacteristically, on a really bright note. Looks like a fantastic season ahead.

Related articles

Gillard Labor Minority Government … Ever So UMNOesque


If the allegations are true, Craig Thomson would be very much at home in Malaysia. Unfortunately I have in my past life, been in situations and circumstances which landed me in places I didn’t really want to be. Senior politicians of the ruling parties would often be found in these places, accompanied by unsavoury business identities who almost certainly paid for whatever services sought or were made available.

The difference now of course is that Craig Thomson was apparently alone when he allowed his pecadilloes to go untamed. What’s worse, if the allegations are true, he stands to be charged for misappropriating funds. He sounds like a really tragic man. He could however, be the saviour of Australia at this point in time.

He appears to be a politican close to the likes of Mark Arbib and Karl Bitar – those pollies who somehow managed to build reputations of themselves as oily manipulative men who wouldn’t baulk at doing questionable deeds. If one takes a straw poll, those two men would probably be among the most mistrusted characters in the country. That they were the ones who brokered the deal within NSW Labor to avoid banruptcy for Craig Thomson and the catastrophic consequences that would bring for Julia Gillard and her government would only further tar this present government. One would have thought that would be hard to do but there you go.

I think with each passing week, the Julia Gillard minority Labor Government inches ever closer to the status of the UMNO Government of Malaysia, which is saying something. The convoy of no confidence wasn’t in Canberra today – it has circled all over Australia for months now. For the umpteenth time, bring on the elections – please….

Related articles

Feels like Spring


image

It’s still winter – in fact it’s at the
pointy, cold end – yet it feels like Spring

Global Warming and the Carbon Tax … Nuts.


Want to know what a recent expert study on climate change says? See the following excerpts, and you’d think the whole thing is uncertain enough to avoid implementing the carbon tax scheme, but then again we’re dealing with Gaia land maniacs here.

The report: Dr Robert Lindzen and YS Choi, as published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Atmospheric Sciences

The excerpts:

  • Doubling of CO2 will only result in a 1 deg increase in warming (as opposed to at least 1.5 – 5.0 deg in other reports);
  • Simple regression methods used by several existing papers generally exaggerate positive feedbacks and even show positive feedbacks when actual feedbacks are negative;
  • The foregoing imply that the existing models are exaggerating climate sensitivity;
  • The current models have serious coupling issues, where warming may have been wrongly associated with other factors; and
  • The study was a follow-up on a previous one, addressing some feedback and criticisms on its previous approach.

It’s a serious, normal scientific endeavour, which shows if nothing else, climate change is a an issue on which the jury is still well and truly out. Given this uncertainty, why is the Gillard Government and her mob especially Bob Brown, Christine Milne and the Greens in general so hell bent on wrecking our economy, especially since even if the science is a settled issue, what Australia does in addressing emission will ever only have a totally negligible effect? Whatever Australia does, if it does it alone, will not change anything one bit.

In a way, this Labor Government is very similar to the UMNO government in Malaysia. Sick.

Related articles

Nick Clegg and Britain Today


Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrat in the UK,  is the Deputy Prime Minister.  When he was 16, he wandered into a greenhouse and after playing with some matches to burn some cacti, set the whole place alight. The greenhouse belonged to a professor of botany who had collected cacti from all over the world. That greenhouse housed that professor’s lifetime work. Nick Clegg said he had drunk too much and admitted he was irresponsible. His punishment was to do community work. That he could go on to hold high office and potentially be the most important man in UK politics – due to a possibility of a hung parliament – speaks a lot about our current attitude towards wrongdoing and its consequences.

While it is fantastic that someone who was so irresponsible and culpable of such reckless conduct can go on to such great achievements, it is also a reflection of the British (and western? contemporary?) society’s attitude and tolerance for bad behaviour. There is now less fear for consequences of doing bad things.

It is a difficult issue. While one shouldn’t be punished permanently for past mistakes, what we mete out as punishment (can we even use this word anymore, as opposed to “consequences”, say) should also have that deterrent element. Somehow the message we are sending to the younger generation is not just that we will forgive past mistakes, but that these mistakes don’t matter in that we will in the end, forgive and all will be well. This message tends to remove any fear that what we do will have consequences and sometimes far reaching and irreversible consequences.

I wonder what the UK and other parts of western civilisation now thinks, after the recent riots in London and elsewhere in England.

Related articles

Here we go again…


image

Another semester another paper…

Coming to terms with my new world


After over a month’s hiatus, I was back at the MST library on Sat morning, trying to work out the research load for the essay for this semester. It was good to be back researching something to write about again. Later that afternoon we went about our usual chores and errands before visiting a mate’s home for his youngest’ 2nd birthday.

On Sunday, after church and lunch thereafter with a bunch of people including pastor TF, Tress and I went back and attacked the house cleaning tasks, hoping to make it a touch cleaner before the home group meets later in the week. When everything was done it was close to 6 and I was just settling down on the couch for a breather when I was letting out choruses of snores within minutes. It was just for a few minutes before I woke to fix kiddo’s dinner.

Earlier this arvo a mate texted me to say he was near my office so I ducked out for lunch with him and his family. It was the first time I visited this place although it’s just a minute away (across the street from the office).

It has been a really busy but strange day in office – I was the only one there. In an office of just 3 full-time employees, it is easy to have days like  today but when it happens, it’s a strange mix of being busy with loads to do but being all by myself. Thankfully there weren’t any tricky tasks – just loads of little things to do. I had to put up little notices on the door a few times today, when I had to duck out for something and leave the office unmanned. I remain happy and satisfied with work however, and am very grateful for this.

It’s a different world for me these days…

Related articles

USD Decline – Best Time To Give Overseas Relief?


Apparently in Burma, it costs USD60 to correct cleft lips or cleft palates.  That’s AUD57. Before the USA was officially declared a less-than perfect borrower by Standard and Poor several days ago, it would have cost AUD54.

I guess it is now “Standard” belief that US is “Poor” – LOL.

I wonder if the decline of the USD vis-a-vis the AUD means it is a terrific time for Aussie churches to think about pouring money overseas to countries who use USD heavily.

Related articles