Static overdrive

This image has been doing the rounds on Facebook lately and in one we were asked if we agreed. Below is my response with a few extra additions to flesh out my response. I only partially agree ... I do agree that each individual whether young or old owes it to themselves and to society to be their best thus not blaming the world for the consequences of our choices. Boredom is a state of mind and for most of us, theft is a choice (sorry but in the poorest of the poorest communities, I can understand stealing food if you have none). Violence is always a choice. I don't agree with the notion that society does not owe us anything. Responsibility is not just an individual concept, it's also a communal concept. Individuals do have the right to expect the society to provide them with a safe, secure environment where education is provided by people who are qualified to teach the subject rather than a world where the teacher only may be qualified or where education may be only s...

I read  The Week . I can highly recommend it as a bit of a potted collection of news across any given week. It arrives on my doorstep regular as clockwork and often has articles that are thought provoking. Last week's ( 20 - 26 July - it's been a busy week and I've not posted ... for ages sigh) it was the contrast between two articles on page 2. At the top was the tragic and violent death of a teenager as a result of an unprovoked attack in Kings Cross . It was yet another snapshot of the realities of aspects of our youth culture that leaves many of us in our community saddened. At the bottom of the page under a tag of 'It wasn't all bad' was an article about Toni-Lee Bromley who is celebrated for her work to start and fundraise for a nippers program on Kuta Beach to provide boards, equipment, life guards, snacks and a drink for the children. Toni-Lee was 10 when she identified a problem and decided to do something about it. At her age my awareness of the ...

The Australian Budget has been handed down, the squirrels have had time to do their diggings and the first advertisements have started turning up on our television screens. The wash out left me wondering how strong the convictions of our electorate? Two payments stood out for me. The first is attached to the Mining Tax Policies - the taxation imposed on mining companies to redistribute their 'super profits' (apparently). Titled the Benefits of the Boom Package, families entitled to the Family Tax Benefits Part A will receive: Families receiving the maximum rate or part of the maximum rate of FTB Part A with two or more children will receive an extra $600 a year, or an extra $300 a year if they have one child. Families receiving the base rate of FTB Part A with two or more children will receive an extra $200 a year, or an extra $100 a year if they have one child. (Australian Labor News 2012) (Yup I know about the dodgy formatting ... the table has thrown...

I watch Insiders most Sunday mornings and generally speaking find it a easily consumed form of political commentary. This week left me shaking my head a little for they decided that they'd do a summary of the months polls. Now this activity I don't actually have a problem with but the way it was introduced and spoken about, that I did have a problem with. Before I launch into it, my issue was with the flipancy with which it was done. If it was worth investigating and discussing then do it properly. The end result really told me nothing. Sorry if you are offshore, I'm not sure if ABC allows non-local ISP to view video. The Poll of Polls segment was introduced with the statement; 'While single polls are not meaningless, they're not particularly meaningful either.' This grabbed my attention. It sounded somewhat like that old comment we'd hear at university ... 'Shit in ... Shit out'. How meaningful are the trends to come from polls that are app...