*** words matter
Anybody with half a brain knows that Donald Trump is a compulsive liar. You would have to be living in a cave or on Mars not to have picked up on the vast amount of stuff written and talked about Trump over the last decade or more. What does that say about America that half of the voting population would still vote for this guy despite the masses of evidence as to his bad character? It says something profound about many Americans and their culture. They just don’t give a shit about anyone else but themselves. Me me me. It’s all about me and mine. Dog eat dog and they see Trump as the big dog in the fight.
Crime Fresh Politics
Trump is like the parent of a raped daughter who blames her rather than the perpetrator for the rape. Trump blames Ukraine for being invaded by Russia. Donald Trump is a disgusting human being. The Americans who voted for Trump should hang their heads in shame. We can only hope that someone with the courage can end this shameful chapter sooner rather than later. What the world needs now is not ugly Americans in charge of a corrupt and morally bankrupt administration. Stupid is as stupid does. Trump 2.0 is making America smaller not greater.
Crime Fresh Politics
American’s voted in Donald Trump as their president for the second time. What did someone famous once say about ‘once can be forgiven as a mistake but twice is no excuse’, or words to that effect anyway. Yes, Trump only won by 1.4 points but considering he was a convicted felon and well known conman it was a travesty. Americans have only themselves to blame on this score. Therefore, Trump’s America is the enemy. The enemy of those who believe in law and order. The enemy of those who value democracy. The enemy of those who oppose white supremacists, sexual offenders, and blowhard bullies.
Economics Fresh Politics Anybody with half a brain knows that Donald Trump is a compulsive liar. You would have to be living in a cave or on Mars not to have picked up on the vast amount of stuff written and talked about Trump over the last decade or more. What does that say about America that half of the voting population would still vote for this guy despite the masses of evidence as to his bad character? It says something profound about many Americans and their culture. They just don’t give a shit about anyone else but themselves. Me me me. It’s all about me and mine. Dog eat dog and they see Trump as the big dog in the fight.
Anybody with half a brain knows that Donald Trump is a compulsive liar. You would have to be living in a cave or on Mars not to have picked up on the vast amount of stuff written and talked about Trump over the last decade or more. What does that say about America that half of the voting population would still vote for this guy despite the masses of evidence as to his bad character? It says something profound about many Americans and their culture. They just don’t give a shit about anyone else but themselves. Me me me. It’s all about me and mine. Dog eat dog and they see Trump as the big dog in the fight.
Crime Fresh Politics Anybody with half a brain knows that Donald Trump is a compulsive liar. You would have to be living in a cave or on Mars not to have picked up on the vast amount of stuff written and talked about Trump over the last decade or more. What does that say about America that half of the voting population would still vote for this guy despite the masses of evidence as to his bad character? It says something profound about many Americans and their culture. They just don’t give a shit about anyone else but themselves. Me me me. It’s all about me and mine. Dog eat dog and they see Trump as the big dog in the fight.
Crime Fresh Politics
Anybody with half a brain knows that Donald Trump is a compulsive liar. You would have to be living in a cave or on Mars not to have picked up on the vast amount of stuff written and talked about Trump over the last decade or more. What does that say about America that half of the voting population would still vote for this guy despite the masses of evidence as to his bad character? It says something profound about many Americans and their culture. They just don’t give a shit about anyone else but themselves. Me me me. It’s all about me and mine. Dog eat dog and they see Trump as the big dog in the fight.
Crime Fresh Politics
Trump is like the parent of a raped daughter who blames her rather than the perpetrator for the rape. Trump blames Ukraine for being invaded by Russia. Donald Trump is a disgusting human being. The Americans who voted for Trump should hang their heads in shame. We can only hope that someone with the courage can end this shameful chapter sooner rather than later. What the world needs now is not ugly Americans in charge of a corrupt and morally bankrupt administration. Stupid is as stupid does. Trump 2.0 is making America smaller not greater.
Crime Fresh Politics
American’s voted in Donald Trump as their president for the second time. What did someone famous once say about ‘once can be forgiven as a mistake but twice is no excuse’, or words to that effect anyway. Yes, Trump only won by 1.4 points but considering he was a convicted felon and well known conman it was a travesty. Americans have only themselves to blame on this score. Therefore, Trump’s America is the enemy. The enemy of those who believe in law and order. The enemy of those who value democracy. The enemy of those who oppose white supremacists, sexual offenders, and blowhard bullies.
Economics Fresh Politics
What does a bully or stand over guy do to his victim? He menaces then extracts some form of payment in lieu of not beating him up. This is what Donald Trump is doing on the international trade scene. Trump threatens and shakes down Australia. This is what he has done with Canada and Mexico, other US allies. The media plays right into his hands by creating this melodrama, where the little guy or gal gets put under pressure from Trump and then we are all supposed to feel gratitude when the threat does not eventuate. The tariff stand over tactic will not serve US interests long term, rather it will poison an already dirty well.
Economics Fresh Politics
American’s voted in Donald Trump as their president for the second time. What did someone famous once say about ‘once can be forgiven as a mistake but twice is no excuse’, or words to that effect anyway. Yes, Trump only won by 1.4 points but considering he was a convicted felon and well known conman it was a travesty. Americans have only themselves to blame on this score. Therefore, Trump’s America is the enemy. The enemy of those who believe in law and order. The enemy of those who value democracy. The enemy of those who oppose white supremacists, sexual offenders, and blowhard bullies.
Paul Keating tells us that Australia is on its way to becoming the unofficial 51st state of America. The former PM is not being complimentary in his assessment of our current defence policies when saying this. No, Keating is issuing a warning about our docile behaviour in this space. The truth is that Australia does follow the Unites States in many ways when it comes to economic and political trends. Especially, the conservative side of politics are constantly looking to take our country down well-trodden American roads. Financialization and zombie neoliberalism is where the US finds itself with private equity investment firms gobbling up all areas of life and business in America.
The leaders of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) are calling for unemployment to rise. Yes, the RBA want more Aussies out of work so they can slay the dragon they call inflation. You may not have been aware that for the last 50 years the economists at the RBA have adjudged full employment as an unemployment rate of 4.5%. That equates to around 500, 000 ordinary Australians being out of work. These are the sacrificial bodies and souls, apparently, necessary for the economy to work without high inflation. I have an alternative suggestion. Australians: Is it time to eat the rich?
The Liberal Party under the leadership of Peter Dutton has moved further right into irrelevance in Australia. This is the party that has played politics over climate change for the last 15 years and bogged Australia into the slow lane on this existential crisis facing humanity. Now, the Liberal Party plays politics with Aboriginal Voice and reconciliation. It is a dreadful shame that our nation cannot move forward on something so important united on the political front. The Coalition parties, Nationals and Liberals, were never going to get on board this momentous recognition of our Indigenous brothers and sisters, as they represent the hard right racist minority within Australia.
The opioid crisis in America is a terrible indictment on American doctors. The fact that OxyContin was widely prescribed as a safe cure for pain despite being an opioid is testament to the stupidity and gullibility of American doctors. The training and experience of medical practitioners should have indemnified them with a healthy scepticism for claims made by the pharmaceutical companies in this instance. Opioids have been known to be highly addictive for many decades and there have been no exceptions to this over the period.
The Coalition had run a narrative about Australian dole bludgers and welfare cheats for decades. It was part of the right wing playbook of creating villains for the electorate to focus their frustrations and hate upon. The enemy is all those Aussies gaming the system and not doing their fair share. Robodebt was their policy initiative to clean up Dodge, as welfare cops on the beat clawing back billions for the budget. Robodebt abuse was built on Coalition lies to Australians. Scott Morrison was in such a hurry that he didn’t want to waste time on dotting the I’s and crossing the t’s when it came to the legality of the scheme. Kathryn Campbell, the public servant responsible in Human Services, would make the bullets for Sheriff Morrison to fire at the legion of welfare cheats downunder. A lot of paper shuffling went on between senior bureaucrats in the social security and human services departments. Pleasing the boss was paramount bin the minds of these highly paid functionaries.
Thirty years ago the average person didn’t worry about their digital footprint. They didn’t have a social media profile or a website in most cases. Individuals were footloose and fancy free without the ever present digital shadow hanging over them. Digging into your digital footprint can reveal how our cultural concerns are changing. Young people previously had lives which didn’t demand constant documenting via technological devices. Human beings had identities outside of the pixels and bytes forming shapes and images on screens. None of these things are possible today unless you are willing to swim against the current in 2023 and beyond. Kids are constantly checking their phones for updates re-their on-screen lives. Many cannot commit to things like watching a movie without reference to the small screen in their palm. Concentration levels have been diffused into a multiplicity of intermittent calls upon their flickering attention spans.
The murder of Carol Clay and Russel Hill in the Wonnangatta Valley are gun deaths. Greg Lynn is accused of the murders and will stand trail in the Victorian Supreme Court. Gun deaths in Australia: The murder of two campers in Victoria is worrying for a number of reasons. There are 2.6 million registered firearms in Australia. If licenced gun owners are travelling with their guns it makes for dangerous travelling. Disputes over camping sites may turn into life threatening situations, as, it seems, was the case in this instance.
Rupert Murdoch has been a scourge across this nation and around the globe. Publishing right wing broadsheets and tabloids to peddle influence in western Anglo democracies. Fox News has been his nadir in terms of journalistic standards and any pretence of objectivity in reporting the news. You would have to say that he has made his many fortunes out of giving stupid people what they think they want. The neoliberal shonky manipulation of the ordinary man and woman in the street. Appealing to their prejudices and their short shrift for anything beyond their ken. The anti-woke campaign is writ loud across the right wing playbook to rile up a response from the largely apathetic majority. News Corp publications and networks jump on this bandwagon day and night.
The Trump years were desperately unfunny despite the stupidity of the man and what often came out of his mouth as President of the United States. The laughable state of American politics is reaching new highs of absurdity with the most recent discovery of classified documents in Biden’s possession, from his time as Vice President during the Obama years. Firstly, Trump was under investigation by the DOJ for filching boxes of top secret classified documents when he left the White House. Who knew that Presidents weren’t allowed to souvenir such stuff upon their departure? Some folks steal stuff from their hotel rooms and slip it into their luggage prior to checking out.
Is Dominic Perrottet a Nazi? Even asking this question a few weeks ago would have seemed absurd of the NSW Premier, but who knew. I mean who in their right mind would dress up as a Nazi for their 21st birthday? The rites of passage for a callow youth? A serious young man like the Premier should have known better, indeed, would have known better. Is the obvious truth staring us in the face? Is the best place to hide in plain sight? I have written about the rising tide of fascism around the globe.
Trump has spawned the fantasist George Santos elected to congress in the US. Congressman elect George Santos of the New York district has lied about who is on his official CV. Santos claimed to have worked for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup and this is a lie. George Santos put down on his resume that he received a degree from Baruch College and this is a bald faced untruth too. He put down stuff about running an animal rescue charity of which there is no record. Santos claimed to be Ukrainian and Jewish – both of which are further fabrications.
More information is being revealed about the dreadful police shooting in Wieambilla. It seems a case of Queensland police less than honest in their communication with the community re-Nathaniel Train. The ABC has reported that the younger Train brother was reported to QLD police for illegally crossing the state border from NSW and suspicious activity during the Covid lockdowns in 2021. A local resident witnessed Nathaniel Train dumping stuff into the river from his vehicle after attempting to cross the river during flooding. He reported this illegal crossing to police in QLD. These were loaded weapons, as they were found by locals later. Police were informed and collected the weapons.
The recent police shootings in Queensland has turned the spotlight on the role of religion in terrorism and acts of violence. The Train brothers at the centre of this mass murder were brought up by an evangelical father. The Trains made a YouTube video around the time of the police shootings telling the world that they had killed the demons and devils who had invaded their property (this video has been taken down by the police). This was a reference to the 2 young police officers who were murdered by the trio of armed Queenslanders. Thankfully, 2 more young police officers were able to survive this act of domestic terrorism.
I ask this in light of the police shootings in Queensland coverage. Are there any real journalists left in Australia to ask the important questions? Or, has Murdoch gutted the profession so completely we are left with tabloid news screaming, “Love triangle!” in their click […]
We live in a materialistic age and under the auspices of the capitalist system. Billionaires and oligarchs: Our relationship to them must be examined. Billionaires have been seen as the apotheosis of our economic societies. The general public in western democracies have looked upon these very wealthy people as winners and something to aspire to. In America, individuals like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have been held up as examples of real success. At the same time, America and Australia have become much less equitable nations in terms of the distribution of wealth amongst their populations. There are more billionaires but the percentage of shared wealth has become far more skewed in favour of rich elites.
Here in Australia and in America the energy companies are taking us all for a very expensive ride. Why do we unquestioningly accept being fleeced by big business? Gas and oil prices have gone through the roof and then some over the last 12 months. Yes, we have heard the excuses about the war in Ukraine but come on these companies are making record profits in the trillions and hundreds of billions of dollars. Inflation is at 7.2% in Australia, as of November 2022, and the Reserve Bank tips it to reach 8% by the end of the year. The cost of living for essential items like energy and food have gone up substantially. The RBA is rising interest rates to dampen demand within the economy.
It is sometimes difficult to know what to do to get your website working effectively for your business. Finding the right words for your website can be challenging. What to say and how to say it are perennial questions for small business owners and operators. Going down the path of organic SEO can open up a whole lot of questioning worms. Although ultimately it will save you a lot of money and deliver better results in terms of attracting business via your digital presence. It will also focus you on the key words and search terms your potential customers are using.
Creating SEO enhanced content for your website is like anything else in life, there are no instant answers. You can pay others to do it for you. There is no shame in employing experts to establish a body of work on and around your digital presence. However, do not think you can pay peanuts for this utilising ESL writers via low budget SEO companies. You get what you pay for in this life! Remember this truism, as we go further forward into this article. Ultimately, becoming a better creator of SEO enhanced content yourself will best serve your interests.
Anybody with half a brain knows that Donald Trump is a compulsive liar. You would have to be living in a cave or on Mars not to have picked up on the vast amount of stuff written and talked about Trump over the last decade or more. What does that say about America that half of the voting population would still vote for this guy despite the masses of evidence as to his bad character? It says something profound about many Americans and their culture. They just don’t give a shit about anyone else but themselves. Me me me. It’s all about me and mine. Dog eat dog and they see Trump as the big dog in the fight.
Trump is like the parent of a raped daughter who blames her rather than the perpetrator for the rape. Trump blames Ukraine for being invaded by Russia. Donald Trump is a disgusting human being. The Americans who voted for Trump should hang their heads in shame. We can only hope that someone with the courage can end this shameful chapter sooner rather than later. What the world needs now is not ugly Americans in charge of a corrupt and morally bankrupt administration. Stupid is as stupid does. Trump 2.0 is making America smaller not greater.
What does a bully or stand over guy do to his victim? He menaces then extracts some form of payment in lieu of not beating him up. This is what Donald Trump is doing on the international trade scene. Trump threatens and shakes down Australia. This is what he has done with Canada and Mexico, other US allies. The media plays right into his hands by creating this melodrama, where the little guy or gal gets put under pressure from Trump and then we are all supposed to feel gratitude when the threat does not eventuate. The tariff stand over tactic will not serve US interests long term, rather it will poison an already dirty well.
The story of American Independence is a far more nuanced one than most folk know. It was not all about a battle for freedom for the ‘hard done by’ colonists against the mighty British Empire. American Independence founded on lies is not too far from the truth when examining the southern slaver colonies like Virginia. Thomas Jefferson and his white slaver rebels burned the city of Norfolk to prevent it falling into the hands of emancipated African American slaves. The British were interested in abolishing slavery and had put limits on further expansion into Indian territories in North America. This did not sit well with white plantation families in the American colonies. Settlers in the New World, more generally, were motivated to enrich themselves no matter the cost to enslaved people and Indigenous populations.
Have you ever counted up all the things in life you now have to pay for? Say, for instance if we compare it to previous generations? Let’s start with music, as most folk have a subscription to listen to music on their phone these days. Back in the day people used to own their copies of recorded music not rented them. Next, how about all your streaming service subscriptions. Yes, range of content is much better now but we are paying for it. It used to be either free to air with ads or pay TV but now companies like Amazon are milking the cow from both ends. The voracious pigs like Jeff Bezos want to make you pay and get advertising revenue. I can see the whole sector going this way.
Have you ever dealt with really pushy salespeople? You know, the kind that just will not take No for an answer? A lot of them are trained in this way to never accept a negative response and to keep re-presenting their sales pitch endlessly. American sales people are particularly like this. After all, America has perfected the sales pitch psychology. I mean, all this death of a salesman crap is just that – crap. Buying Trump in the land of the sales pitch. Donald Trump comes from this background. You know, the art of the deal and all that. Trump and the GOP have gone back to the American people and presented their promises and pitch once more. The population is so used to this behaviour, living in this sales orientated land, that they have bought the same bunch of baloney again.
President Joe Biden has warned Americans in his outgoing speech about the dangers of the oligarchies in America today and the parallels with the Gilded Age and their Robber Barons. President Hoover was in charge back then and his administration was about to usher in the Great Depression. Lessons from the Gilded Age and what it can teach us today. Early in the 20C, a number of great things were built in America and the Gilded Age is often remembered for them. Interestingly, it was a high tech time back then too with the telephone, typewriter, gramophone, and Kodak camera coming into being. It was gilded by the gold trim on the mega mansions being built for the oligarchs of the day. Steel and railway oligarchs with vast fortunes directing the American economy via their wheeling and dealing.
I suspect that many of the people that voted for Trump would struggle to spell oligarchy let alone grasp its meaning. Hey, those Big Tech bros are cool guys and wouldn’t it be great to be like them. This sentiment may well capture the popular mood among many younger Americans. President Joe Biden’s outgoing speech to the nation was highlighted by warnings about oligarchy. It seems, warnings about oligarchy fall on deaf ears at the moment. Explaining about the importance of having a separation between government and big business should be fairly nondescript. The general American ignorance about how government works is pretty disturbing.
Revisiting the National Broadband Network (NBN) tells us a lot about how politics undermine government in Australia. The NBN debacle is a perfect example of Coalition ineptitude. A constant theme in federal politics in Australia is the LNP Coalition appealing to short term populist positions within the electorate. Most prominent is on anything to do with climate change, as head in the sand business as usual attitudes prevail. Wind power turbines affecting the views of property owners is one example, as the LNP rallies around these disgruntled voters. The idea that technology will save us from global warming without any behavioural changes is very popular among right wing voters.
