Thursday 4 December 2008
The Enterprise Of The World
Something for you to remember during the negotiations for your next enterprise agreement.
When your employer says that if they are paying more money out in wages they expect increased productivity just remember this is businesses way to get more productivity for what is essentially the same amount of money.
What is involved in the equation is the actual face value of the money used, the spending power or overall value of money and inflation.
The overall value of money is related to the spending power of the money and what inflation does is makes that value less than what it previously was so if increases in wages are tied to increased productivity then the organisation gets more out of the money that they are spending even though they are essentially paying essentially the same price in real terms. While the face value of the whole sum of money they give out is higher than previously the actual spending power of the individual units of money is worth less due to inflation so the extra money in the wage increase just brings the spending power of the whole sum of money to what it was before inflation.
Because prices are going up the businesses are essentially taking in the same monetary value that they were previously taking in before inflation. Overall value wise it's the same even though the face value is more. Since monetary value and face value of money are different things business use both value outlooks interchangeably to suit their own argument. The previously mentioned business argument that if they have to spend more money they should get more for it refers to face value of money, not the actual overall value of the money.
And on the other side of the coin if wages are not increased to match inflation then business gets the same productivity for less money in real terms. The actual face value of the money is the same but the spending power of that money is less and because of inflation the business is taking in more money.
Remember that next time you vote for your next enterprise agreement.
Tell The World
Tuesday 25 November 2008
An Oz Central Public Service Announcement For The World
This was received via email, I'm not sure about the validity of the story itself but the warning is sound.
----------------------------------------
ALL FAMILY MEMBERS SHOULD READ THIS ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!
These crooks are getting very good!
A lady has changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile telephone after her handbag was stolen.
Her handbag, which contained her mobile telephone, credit card, purse, etc., was stolen. Twenty minutes later she called her husband, from a pay telephone telling him what had happened.
Her husband said, 'I have just received your text asking about our pin number and I have replied a little while ago.'
When they rushed down to the bank, the staff told them all the money was already withdrawn.
The thief had actually used the stolen mobile telephone to text her husband in the contact list and got hold of the pin number.
Within twenty minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.
Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.
Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Mum, Dad, etc.,
And very importantly, when sensitive information is being asked for through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
Also, when you are being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them.
If you do not reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.
PLEASE PASS THIS ON.
I never thought about THAT!
As of right now, do you have 'home' named on the mobile?
----------------------------------------
Tell The World
----------------------------------------
ALL FAMILY MEMBERS SHOULD READ THIS ESPECIALLY CHILDREN!
These crooks are getting very good!
A lady has changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile telephone after her handbag was stolen.
Her handbag, which contained her mobile telephone, credit card, purse, etc., was stolen. Twenty minutes later she called her husband, from a pay telephone telling him what had happened.
Her husband said, 'I have just received your text asking about our pin number and I have replied a little while ago.'
When they rushed down to the bank, the staff told them all the money was already withdrawn.
The thief had actually used the stolen mobile telephone to text her husband in the contact list and got hold of the pin number.
Within twenty minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.
Moral of the lesson:
Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list.
Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Mum, Dad, etc.,
And very importantly, when sensitive information is being asked for through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.
Also, when you are being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them.
If you do not reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.
PLEASE PASS THIS ON.
I never thought about THAT!
As of right now, do you have 'home' named on the mobile?
----------------------------------------
Tell The World
Wednesday 12 November 2008
The Scams Keep Coming
Facebook hit by Nigerian 419 scam
By John E. Dunn , TechWorld , 11/10/2008
Scammers are trawling Facebook for victims using a convincing twist on the notorious 'Nigerian 419' scam.
Normally, 419 scams are easy to spot and involve e-mail requests for money from supposedly rich individuals in countries such as Nigeria, from which the fraud gets its name. The latest Facebook attack is much craftier, however, because it hijacks the identities of real people known to Facebook members, asking for money under an apparently plausible guise.
An Australian news site reports that one Google Australian employee who was contacted using the social networking site by a person known to her, asking for $500 dollars to allow him to return home from Lagos, Nigeria, where he claimed to be stranded.
She became suspicious that the contact was bogus only after noting subtle irregularities in the fraudster's use of Australian English. "After chatting further, words such as "cell" instead of "mobile phone" tipped Wells off that she was not talking to her friend but someone who had taken over his account," the report said.
"Many Facebook users don't even know how many friends they have on the site, let alone what they are all doing and where they are, and this is providing the scammers with a new vector of attack" said Graham Cluley of Sophos, the company that unearthed this particular scam. (Read Full Story Here)
People will often freely give out their own personal details and those of their friends and family in an enviroment where it would be better not to. The solution here is stop giving out that information. Then scammers won't have as much information to successfully carry out their scams.
Unfortunately when it comes to scams many people think that somehow they won't become a victim even though the all warning signs are there. They'll often come up with some self serving logic to make themselves think that doing the wrong thing is OK when they do it and when they come across a scam it's not a scam, they'll be fine. This particular scam is a little more clever than most scams but the common warning for the Internet is beware of anyone asking you for money.
Friday 24 October 2008
How To Forward Email
This was received via email, if everyone followed the basic steps outlined here then we'd be getting a lot less spam and virus attacks.
HOW TO FORWARD E-MAIL APPROPRIATELY
A friend who is a computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Please read the short letter below, even if you're sure you already follow proper procedures.
Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT.
Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the TO: or CC: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) Remove any "FW :" in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just isn't so!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6) One of the main ones I hate is the ones that say that something like, "Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen." Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen IT ISN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes.com or http://www.TruthOrFiction.com/search.htm
It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.
Finally, here's an idea!!! Let's send this to everyone we know (but strip my address off first, please). This is something that SHOULD be forwarded.
Tell The World!
HOW TO FORWARD E-MAIL APPROPRIATELY
A friend who is a computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Please read the short letter below, even if you're sure you already follow proper procedures.
Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT.
Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the TO: or CC: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) Remove any "FW :" in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just isn't so!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6) One of the main ones I hate is the ones that say that something like, "Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen." Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen IT ISN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes.com or http://www.TruthOrFiction.com/search.htm
It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.
Finally, here's an idea!!! Let's send this to everyone we know (but strip my address off first, please). This is something that SHOULD be forwarded.
Tell The World!
Saturday 16 August 2008
Saturday 19 April 2008
Vigilantism
Reported at Nine MSN
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=450018
Trip wire to stop bike hoons condemned
Saturday Apr 19 08:44 AEST
Trip wire strung at head height in an Adelaide Park to deter hoons on motorised minibikes could have hurt children and other park users, a local official said.
Playford deputy mayor Glenn Docherty said minibike riders had been a constant problem in Cambridge Terrace Linear Reserve in Adelaide's north, and their "hoon" behaviour had angered local residents.
But the use of trip wire - which had been placed across a walking track - was not the way to solve the problem, he said.
"My biggest concern is for people who use the park legitimately," Mr Docherty said. "You have kids who ride their mountain bikes, and people who walk their dogs."
Although the minibikes were illegal in the park, Mr Docherty said he did not want to see the riders get hurt.
He urged residents to contact police if they saw minibike riders in the park, and not to take the law into their own hands.
"Vigilantism is not what we want in the community," Mr Docherty said.
Mr Docherty said police had removed the wire.
Vigilantism is not wanted but I have a feeling there’ll be more of it to come, there was an incident on the NSW Central Coast where after someone drove into a crowd people attacked the driver screaming “kill him”.
If you ask why they would do that and why would they string trip wires in Adelaide and why I think there’ll be more vigilantism, the answer is because of the breakdown of law and order that’s happening everywhere.
The lack of law enforcement as in people not being arrested and gaoled for any real period of time when they break the law has many people disillusioned. If the law isn’t going to take action then people will do it themselves.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=450018
Trip wire to stop bike hoons condemned
Saturday Apr 19 08:44 AEST
Trip wire strung at head height in an Adelaide Park to deter hoons on motorised minibikes could have hurt children and other park users, a local official said.
Playford deputy mayor Glenn Docherty said minibike riders had been a constant problem in Cambridge Terrace Linear Reserve in Adelaide's north, and their "hoon" behaviour had angered local residents.
But the use of trip wire - which had been placed across a walking track - was not the way to solve the problem, he said.
"My biggest concern is for people who use the park legitimately," Mr Docherty said. "You have kids who ride their mountain bikes, and people who walk their dogs."
Although the minibikes were illegal in the park, Mr Docherty said he did not want to see the riders get hurt.
He urged residents to contact police if they saw minibike riders in the park, and not to take the law into their own hands.
"Vigilantism is not what we want in the community," Mr Docherty said.
Mr Docherty said police had removed the wire.
-------------------------------------------------
Vigilantism is not wanted but I have a feeling there’ll be more of it to come, there was an incident on the NSW Central Coast where after someone drove into a crowd people attacked the driver screaming “kill him”.
If you ask why they would do that and why would they string trip wires in Adelaide and why I think there’ll be more vigilantism, the answer is because of the breakdown of law and order that’s happening everywhere.
The lack of law enforcement as in people not being arrested and gaoled for any real period of time when they break the law has many people disillusioned. If the law isn’t going to take action then people will do it themselves.
Saturday 15 March 2008
Goodbye to a Real Friend
22 years is a long time to have a pet and after 22 years my pet was more than just a pet.
He was my friend, my precious friend.
So when looking into how I may pay my proper respects to my friend I considered a few options, I wanted to be realistic and also I wanted to properly honour my friend,
So I chose cremation. My precious friend was cremated and I scattered his ashes in one of his favourite places to sit.
Of course I had to find someone to do this for me.
And the people I found where perfectly suited for this task. I wanted my precious friend to be treated with the respect he deserved and I wanted the appropriate level of respect towards my feelings in this sad time. Pets Eternal Peace, http://www.petseternalpeace.com.au , provided that. They came for my pet, cremated him and bought him home to me, they were happy to hear a few anecdotes about my friend and see a few pictures as well.
I could have had him placed in an urn but I wanted to symbolically set him free by scattering his ashes so my friend came home in a scatter box affixed with a white rose and a plaque with a few details about him.
Very respectful and more than I expected, I was very pleased with the care my friend received on his last journey.
I scattered his ashes, farewell my friend.
The scatter box is still here though; it’s quite useful for holding the pictures of my friend.
Thank you Pets Eternal Peace, my friend deserved the best and I’m happy to say you exceeded my expectations.
And thank you to my friend.
He was my friend, my precious friend.
So when looking into how I may pay my proper respects to my friend I considered a few options, I wanted to be realistic and also I wanted to properly honour my friend,
So I chose cremation. My precious friend was cremated and I scattered his ashes in one of his favourite places to sit.
Of course I had to find someone to do this for me.
And the people I found where perfectly suited for this task. I wanted my precious friend to be treated with the respect he deserved and I wanted the appropriate level of respect towards my feelings in this sad time. Pets Eternal Peace, http://www.petseternalpeace.com.au , provided that. They came for my pet, cremated him and bought him home to me, they were happy to hear a few anecdotes about my friend and see a few pictures as well.
I could have had him placed in an urn but I wanted to symbolically set him free by scattering his ashes so my friend came home in a scatter box affixed with a white rose and a plaque with a few details about him.
Very respectful and more than I expected, I was very pleased with the care my friend received on his last journey.
I scattered his ashes, farewell my friend.
The scatter box is still here though; it’s quite useful for holding the pictures of my friend.
Thank you Pets Eternal Peace, my friend deserved the best and I’m happy to say you exceeded my expectations.
And thank you to my friend.
Monday 18 February 2008
Syphilis Rising
It’s an old fashioned disease but like many other retro things it’s making a comeback with a vengeance.
It’s actually a little worrying. More than a little in fact.
It means more sexually active people aren’t using condoms when they have one night stands etc or being blood tested before having unprotected sex.
If you are with the one partner and you are both not sleeping around then all you’ll both need is blood test to confirm you are disease free. Then you can go for it with each other to your hearts content. You may even find time to make children.
In the one night stand arena there are a few ideas about unprotected sex and when it’s OK. For example some will say because they have regular blood tests, say every three months, they should be OK for one night stands every weekend with various partners because the tests prove they are not spreading any diseases around.
The flaw there is the blood tests don’t actually prevent diseases being spread. You can have your blood test and be all clear and then the first person you have sex with can have a disease which you catch and spread to everyone else until you have your next blood test.
You and your partner need to have a blood test before you engage in unprotected sex and the function of the test is to prove you don’t have any diseases.
Some will say because they just finished a relationship they should be OK to hook up with someone else who just finished a relationship because the people in the relationship were disease free.
Trouble is you don’t know if all the people in the relationship were unfaithful or not and they probably wouldn’t admit it if they were.
Some will say they only had unprotected once so it should be OK.
Um no, that’s wrong. Once is all it takes to catch something.
Some will just say anything they fancy at the time since they don’t like condoms and somehow disliking condoms will protect them.
Some believe it’s someone else’s responsibility and they shouldn’t have to do anything.
None of these approaches are actually legitimate methods of protecting yourself and you’d have to be pretty delusional to think they will.
If you can’t wait for a blood test, use condoms. Too bad if you really don’t like them, I think it’s fair to say that you’d like the diseases even less.
It’s actually a little worrying. More than a little in fact.
It means more sexually active people aren’t using condoms when they have one night stands etc or being blood tested before having unprotected sex.
If you are with the one partner and you are both not sleeping around then all you’ll both need is blood test to confirm you are disease free. Then you can go for it with each other to your hearts content. You may even find time to make children.
In the one night stand arena there are a few ideas about unprotected sex and when it’s OK. For example some will say because they have regular blood tests, say every three months, they should be OK for one night stands every weekend with various partners because the tests prove they are not spreading any diseases around.
The flaw there is the blood tests don’t actually prevent diseases being spread. You can have your blood test and be all clear and then the first person you have sex with can have a disease which you catch and spread to everyone else until you have your next blood test.
You and your partner need to have a blood test before you engage in unprotected sex and the function of the test is to prove you don’t have any diseases.
Some will say because they just finished a relationship they should be OK to hook up with someone else who just finished a relationship because the people in the relationship were disease free.
Trouble is you don’t know if all the people in the relationship were unfaithful or not and they probably wouldn’t admit it if they were.
Some will say they only had unprotected once so it should be OK.
Um no, that’s wrong. Once is all it takes to catch something.
Some will just say anything they fancy at the time since they don’t like condoms and somehow disliking condoms will protect them.
Some believe it’s someone else’s responsibility and they shouldn’t have to do anything.
None of these approaches are actually legitimate methods of protecting yourself and you’d have to be pretty delusional to think they will.
If you can’t wait for a blood test, use condoms. Too bad if you really don’t like them, I think it’s fair to say that you’d like the diseases even less.
Tuesday 12 February 2008
Drugs Did What??
Speaking at an anti drug forum former football star Ben Cousins is claiming he didn’t choose drugs, they chose him.
Is he suggesting drugs are some sort of living creature and they chose you out of a line of people?
An anti drug forum was not the best place for him to make his comments, what people need to hear is that drugs can be beaten, how they can be beaten and there is help out there.
And even more so the message needs to be put across that the best way to avoid being an addict is don’t start with drugs to begin with
Ben Cousins was a high profile football player who ended up with a drug habit that ended up putting him in rehab before eventually ending up sacked from the club he played for.
Cousins claimed his problems weren’t his fault and then cried on about he is someone who has lost a livelihood and the thing he loves most.
He wouldn’t be the first person that has happened to.
However with many others it’s totally beyond their control.
Drugs don’t choose or not choose or anything. And they don’t do anything unless you take them.
Ben Cousins took drugs
His choice.
His fault.
And when he finally grows up he may realise that.
And then there may be hope for him.
I don’t think there is hope for him right now though. With the comment that drugs chose him I would suggest there are still a few narcotic items in his brain distorting reality.
Is he suggesting drugs are some sort of living creature and they chose you out of a line of people?
An anti drug forum was not the best place for him to make his comments, what people need to hear is that drugs can be beaten, how they can be beaten and there is help out there.
And even more so the message needs to be put across that the best way to avoid being an addict is don’t start with drugs to begin with
Ben Cousins was a high profile football player who ended up with a drug habit that ended up putting him in rehab before eventually ending up sacked from the club he played for.
Cousins claimed his problems weren’t his fault and then cried on about he is someone who has lost a livelihood and the thing he loves most.
He wouldn’t be the first person that has happened to.
However with many others it’s totally beyond their control.
Drugs don’t choose or not choose or anything. And they don’t do anything unless you take them.
Ben Cousins took drugs
His choice.
His fault.
And when he finally grows up he may realise that.
And then there may be hope for him.
I don’t think there is hope for him right now though. With the comment that drugs chose him I would suggest there are still a few narcotic items in his brain distorting reality.
Thursday 24 January 2008
Super Theft?
.
Superannuation (Super) was started to free Australia from the ever rising costs of pensions.
Instead of someone existing on a tiny little pension after retirement they'd become a member of a super fund and when they retire they have more money available to them.
Before they retire they regularly contribute money to the fund and their money is invested by the fund where there is likely to be a high return providing the fund member with more money upon retirement.
There are calls to force super funds to be invested in building the infrastructure.
If the economy was booming then the super funds would invest more in the country.
Super funds exist solely for the benefit of workers to fund their retirement and must have the freedom to invest where the return is the highest, not be stifled by the someones ambitions of looking good at someone else's expense.
And that's the key point, the funds are solely there for the fund members, superannuation has no obligations outside of those members, it certainly isn't a special reserve fund that someone just has to work out the secret for getting their hands on it.
I don't want less of a return on my future security just because someone wanted something built to make themselves look good.
.
Superannuation (Super) was started to free Australia from the ever rising costs of pensions.
Instead of someone existing on a tiny little pension after retirement they'd become a member of a super fund and when they retire they have more money available to them.
Before they retire they regularly contribute money to the fund and their money is invested by the fund where there is likely to be a high return providing the fund member with more money upon retirement.
There are calls to force super funds to be invested in building the infrastructure.
If the economy was booming then the super funds would invest more in the country.
Super funds exist solely for the benefit of workers to fund their retirement and must have the freedom to invest where the return is the highest, not be stifled by the someones ambitions of looking good at someone else's expense.
And that's the key point, the funds are solely there for the fund members, superannuation has no obligations outside of those members, it certainly isn't a special reserve fund that someone just has to work out the secret for getting their hands on it.
I don't want less of a return on my future security just because someone wanted something built to make themselves look good.
.
Saturday 5 January 2008
The Road Toll
I could ask myself why we even have a high road toll to begin with. After all there are better roads always being built, more traffic lights and roundabouts, safer cars and the peachy wonderful caring times we live in.
I didn't ask myself because I believe I already know the answer and that is no matter how good the infrastructure is bad drivers will undermine the best of efforts and cause carnage. Often I will see bad driving and I wonder how it is that the road toll isn't higher. Someone of my former acquaintance would always tailgate other vehicles, sms while driving, drive too fast through car parks, ignore the signs in the car park such as the no entry signs and ignore you when you shouted warnings.
This person once crashed into the back of some one that they were tailgating and apparently blamed the other driver for stopping suddenly. When it was mentioned to the tailgater that they were supposed to leave sufficient space for such a situation the tailgater just ignored it and continued with their same driving habits.
A colleague of mine told me that when they were recently driving long distance they were nearly hit by a careless driver, they were on a winding stretch of two lane terrace highway. He noticed some headlights briefly appear behind a semi trailer coming the other way. Although there was an unbroken line between the lanes and there wasn't much room for him to pull over due to the guard rail at the edge of the road he got out of his lane as much as he could just in time to see the semi coming around the blind curve and the headlights from behind the semi now overtaking the semi on the blind curve. If my colleague hadn't noticed the headlights up ahead and moved over he could have been wiped out all because someone couldn't be bothered to obey the road rules.
And really, just everybody obeying the road rules is all it would take to reduce the road toll.
I didn't ask myself because I believe I already know the answer and that is no matter how good the infrastructure is bad drivers will undermine the best of efforts and cause carnage. Often I will see bad driving and I wonder how it is that the road toll isn't higher. Someone of my former acquaintance would always tailgate other vehicles, sms while driving, drive too fast through car parks, ignore the signs in the car park such as the no entry signs and ignore you when you shouted warnings.
This person once crashed into the back of some one that they were tailgating and apparently blamed the other driver for stopping suddenly. When it was mentioned to the tailgater that they were supposed to leave sufficient space for such a situation the tailgater just ignored it and continued with their same driving habits.
A colleague of mine told me that when they were recently driving long distance they were nearly hit by a careless driver, they were on a winding stretch of two lane terrace highway. He noticed some headlights briefly appear behind a semi trailer coming the other way. Although there was an unbroken line between the lanes and there wasn't much room for him to pull over due to the guard rail at the edge of the road he got out of his lane as much as he could just in time to see the semi coming around the blind curve and the headlights from behind the semi now overtaking the semi on the blind curve. If my colleague hadn't noticed the headlights up ahead and moved over he could have been wiped out all because someone couldn't be bothered to obey the road rules.
And really, just everybody obeying the road rules is all it would take to reduce the road toll.
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