warning for all downsizers! part one

We have lived in a Melbourne apartment for two and half years. There is so much to like about our apartment and its location. BUT

We have lived in a Melbourne apartment for two and half years. There is so much to like about our apartment and its location. BUT

A significant number of commentators have called on the media to stop sane washing bad behaviour of particular politicians and their lackeys. This call went unheeded during the run up to the last US elections and so a gang of self serving mobsters are now in the White House. I would have expected better from the The Atlantic.

Developers love putting up their signs of things to come that will make life better for future residents.

Rebecca Solnit has written about regimes such as Trump’s do not last forever.

They marched to demand Congress DO THEIR JOB and remove the President from The White House. click here
New book by Naomi Kleinthis is my second post on this book:
here’s a new review of the book on The Guardian – click here

The Uber CEO is gone – why?
click here for the story in The Guardian and read about Susan Fowler, the person who did not do as advised – to ignore the sexist behaviour around her.

Yet again the media has misunderstood what Pauline Hanson said!

It is definitely time for all forms of peaceful and concerted actions to adjust our democratic structures to deal with the damage being done by forces that have resulted in Trump and his cronies being where they are.

says it all.. the idiot of Australian politics
New book by Naomi Klein“This is one attempt to uncover how we got to this surreal political moment. It is also an attempt to predict how, under cover of shocks and crises, it could get a lot worse.
And it’s a plan for how, if we keep our heads, we might just be able to flip the script and arrive at a radically better future.” — From the Introduction
A few stories on this topic – and the world needs more people to identify this and to lead the change away from this nasty ideology.

America is exceptional! Because god says so. America has the right to deal with matters anywhere in the world as it wishes – because America is exceptional.

How far the USA has travelled – down.

Image linked from a site by Amy Dickinson – click here

Good to see people at last calling out Trump on his habitual lies. click here.
It was indeed a sad story to see serious journalists and scientists trying to debate with the latest of the Australia’s right wing nut jobs on TV.
It should be known well by now that there is no use in using the usual polite and logical approaches with such people. It just feeds into their well practised weird ways of arguing or debating.
From The Guardian UK – a piece about ageism – and how it effects women – and men. click here
Keeping a perspective on the movements of the far right in Australia.
click here for the story – by Michael Moore on Trump’s strategy
Here’s a good read by George Monbiot – Neoliberalism – the ideology at the root of all our problems. Think John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull. Click here.
The government’s response to the Top Hat bankers’ rampage through the economy is yet another case of smoke and mirrors. This is in effect putting the Top Hats in charge of the regulator and at the same time pretending to fund ASIC. Turnbull and his crew are Top Hats looking after their Top Hat mates.
Several decades on my first visit to London the bus we were on had reason to be delayed. Most people understood what was happening and why the delay had happened. But not so one couple. They became very agitated and complained very loudly that this was not good enough. Apparently because of the delay the sky was about to fall and all manner of disasters were to strike us all!
From The Conversation, Michelle Smith, Deakin University
Over the weekend, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton inadvertently sent a text message calling journalist Samantha Maiden a “mad f—ing witch” to Maiden herself, rather than his intended recipient, fellow MP Jamie Briggs.
Continue reading Witches both mad and bad: a loaded word with an ugly history

The interviews on the ABC program Kitchen Cabinet are in some cases simply soft propaganda for particular politicians.

The ACT Government and its business advisors have adopted a destructive language to justify their negative approach to parklands and open spaces in Canberra.
This sign has been mentioned by me previously – click here.
Continue reading Teams have opponents, communities have friends
There’s no doubt that while Greece is doing it tough and much of the damage was brought on by all forms of dubious practices within Greece and Europe’s banks, the attitude of Germany and the European Union will be remembered for all its nastiness. Yet again – George has hit the nail on the head. click here
This country is being so badly governed. Politicians in this government openly bully those who do not share their view. This is how Abbott’s Team Australia deals with anyone deemed not to be on side with the government’s views. Democracy itself is being trashed by senior politicians almost daily. Graeme Innes’ article says it all – please click on the image
When the Australian Government’s spokesperson, Tony Abbott announced in August, that we all had to be part of Team Australia, we all knew what it meant. From his perspective, you were either with ‘us’, or you are against ‘us’. This government is about inequity and being plain nasty to anyone it deems not to be part of their agenda – Team Australia.

There are still journalists who tell it as it is really happening. A few.
I link here to two stories relating to two of Australia’s most evil men. There’s a few more!
One is a story of both of them by Jenna Price in the Canberra Times.
There’s not much more to be said about the behaviour of The Rabbott Government Attorney General, George Brandis, and his statements on racial discrimination. We reached the bottom when he said “People do have the right to be bigots you know.”
Penny Wong then became a target for his criticism.
What does it take to bring out even further that narcissist behaviour that occasionally surfaces within social and business interactions? By my reckoning, not much.
I have witnessed that when a certain group in society gains access to any social media, or online forums, or even reply sections online, that with very little encouragement, they quickly plunge headlong into some of the worst troll like and uncivilized behaviour.
A recent opinion piece on bullying that you may have missed given the way the mainstream media reports such things.

For the article by Julia Baird – click here

An emphasis on the Not For Profit Sector
It was after a couple of conversations in the last months with people with whom I was able share experiences about bullying in various workplaces, that I have decided to make research in this area one of my ongoing topics.
As I have spent most of my working life in the Not For Profit sector I am including this sector as part of the main focus of this research.
This line of research and subsequent comments will be a ‘work in progress’.