Robinoz

In the very near future I’m closing this blog down

I’m too busy to continue, even though I’m retired, and will be closing this down. If you’d like to take over this blog, please email me at emujoe @ gmail.com.

It will save you a lot of time and effort to take it over rather than start from scratch.

Robin

Do You ‘Buy Locally … Keep Your Money in Town’?

Buy locally, keep your money in town.

How often have you heard that bullshit?

Where I live it’s habitually and invariably on our radio station adverts. Buy locally and keep your money in town.

Of course it’s not to say that the “locals” who are benefiting from your custom are heading to Bali for holidays, paying off a mortgage on a negatively-geared Gold Coast property, or buying online from…

Getting Politicians’ Retirement Benefits Correct

Almost weekly online there are images or textual condemnations of Australian Senators and Members of Parliament and the benefits to which authors think politicians are entitled. Most of the aspersions are quite simply incorrect.

Regrettably, authors of these ill-informed condemnations are apparently incapable of doing some basic research. If they had, then their understanding of what politicians…

Don’t get scammed

The local newspaper where I live told a story about a man who advertised a motorcycle for sale for $4,000 on Gumtree.com and ended up getting scammed out of $3,000.

You may well ask, as most of us did, “how in hell did that happen?”

The full details weren’t divulged in the news media, however, it seems that the purchasers sent the man an email purporting to come from PayPal and in it requested he…

When Qualifications No Longer Matter

Robin tries New Zealand beer

I recall how happy, but deflated I felt when I completed my first degree. After six years of part-time study while working, maintaining a family, all I got for my efforts, late nights, dozens of assignments, was a piece of A4 paper.

Obviously I had a sense of satisfaction and achievement. I also knew that I had learned valuable information, methods, and practices that…

Who’d be Treasurer Joe Hockey?

Tonight treasurer, Joe Hockey will deliver the second budget on behalf of the Liberal-National Coalition Government.

With memories of the first budget delivered after the government took office with a massive debt created by its predecessor, everyone in the LNP will be hoping this one is accepted more readily than the last. Most descriptions of the last budget include the word

disastrous.

No…

Louis Safian said, “Death and taxes are with us always, but death doesn’t get any worse.”

I think he was right, but I’ve never objected to paying tax because I know it’s required for governments to provide us with services. What I do object to is being taxed to death or taxes on taxes. To date the former hasn’t been a problem, I think the amount of tax we are required to pay in Australia is…

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Finding work after motherhood

It is well-known,  but often ignored, that women face special difficulties in finding jobs, keeping them and gaining promotion.

In an article titled, “Finding work after motherhood: The hardest job I’ve ever had”, Kate Fagan writes about the difficulties of gaining a job:

“As a mother — and a job seeker — my waning confidence takes blow after blow as I line up against the other 768,600 job…

Cabinet Member tells truth about Islam

Islam and tolerance

What a pleasant surprise. Out goes the political correctness. Out goes the apologist mentality. Out goes the moslems are victims cry, and senior government Cabinet Minister and Minister for Foreign Affiars, Julie Bishop tells it as it is:

“The Islamic State terror group poses the greatest threat to civilisation since World War II — “including the rise of communism and the Cold…

Should Negative Gearing Be Scrapped?

As the Australian Government struggles to reduce spending and increase revenue to balance the books, some people are calling for the government to scrap negative gearing arrangements.

Negative gearing is a system whereby people make certain investments and write off losses of those investments against their taxable income.

For example, Jenny buys an investment property that she rents to a…

Home-based Business at Lefou

Business at Lefou

Recently I visited Lefou, a very small island that is part of New Caledonia, a French protectorate in the Pacific.

Where I visited, Lefou has a gorgeous beach and two churches, both apparently Roman Catholic, at either end of the landmass. I visited both churches, not because I’m religious, but because there was nothing else to see and because I like architecture and walking.

Fr…

Mountain Bike Racing at Alice Springs

Female Competitor Doing her Stuff

During the Easter long weekend Alice Springs hosted the “Easter in the Alice Mountain Bike Races” and I volunteered as a marshal/support person.

Several hundred competitors of all ages came from all over Australia including a handful of international and national champions … “Elites” as they are called.

Ready to Roll at Lasseters Casino

There was a 90 kilometre…

How About Sex with a Scare Crow?

I’m an unfortunately celibate heterosexual with a life-long interest in women with nice bodies, brown or black skin, black hair and preferably a pulse. As sad as it may seem, I’ve never even thought about having sex with a scarecrow. But this guy apparently not only thought about it, but put it into action. And died in the process.

The man’s cause of death was unknown, but hopefully it wasn’t…

Why should I answer a telephone questionnaire?

Every week I receive telephone calls from charities wanting me to send them money, people claiming to be from Microsoft wanting to help me with a computer problem I don’t have, or someone wanting me to answer a survey.

I have a standard policy of not responding to charities that telephone, although before I retired, I was very generous. Now I just say, “No thank you.”

The foreigners claiming that…

Who are your Role Models?

What, you don’t have a role model?

I’m shattered and I don’t believe you. Well, maybe I believe you just a little.

For most of us, our parents are our first role models. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on your point of view, they don’t only provide a role model, but they also brain wash us into things like religion, politics and some of their negative traits like racist views, attitudes…

The Microsoft Technical Support Department

Every week I get at least one call from someone with an Indian accent telling me they work for the Microsoft Technical Support Department. Yeah, that’s right, the MTSD calls people to help them fix complaints just like the Westpac Bank calls to tell me they’ll refund the thousands I have paid in fees. Or perhaps the Australian Tax Office will call and offer me a lower rate of taxation.

Pigs might…