Our Pollies are so cheap

Seems like Gina Rinehart is set to become Murdoch Mach 2 and our politicians still don't have any back-bone.

Gina Rineheart makes play for media influence

Although the prospect of Gina Rineheart using Fairfax media as her personal mouthpiece is worrying what really astounded me was just how cheap our politicians really are:

"After all, if you really want to buy influence in Australia, the going price is peanuts. The mining lobby spent around $20 million in its campaign against the Resource Super Profits Tax; its most effective media presence was in fact a single salaried lobbyist, the Minerals Council of Australia’s Mitchell Hooke. 


Clubs Australia has managed to roll back poker machine reform for a lousy few million, ruthlessly targeted at Labor MPs. 


The total donations across all the Australian political parties, at $230 million, still only slightly exceed what Rinehart spent for a slice of Fairfax."

Maybe the problem is not the politicians though, maybe its the constituents. Maybe the Australians that are happy earning 14,556 times less than Rina on average have it good enough that they are too apathetic to care.

Leads to the age old adage that all you need to do is feed the peasants to keep them happy.

PS. That will be changing soon too > 'Climate Change precipitates food shortages & unrest'

Review: The ides of March

Watched the Ides of March (Ryan Gosling & George Clooney) the other night.. a good but not exceptional movie. Some things just didn't sit right. A very sharp look at US politics with a very bleak message for idealists like me that may one day consider a career in the great game.


Hated the Ryan Gosling character by the end, much as he did himself as well I suspect.

Enjoying the feel of things

I'm enjoying the feel of things at the moment. I'm not sure if its extra sensitiveness in my hands, or particular focus on the here and now. Maybe its the awareness of an impending departure. I'm not sure, I'm just enjoying the feel of things at the moment.

Enjoying the feel of things


The rough yet soft touch of freshly washed, low-thread count cotton sheets pulled tight every morning
The tiny, rapid percussion of air on my ear drums as the rain beats the roof
The goose-bump inducing caress of a fan propelled breeze over my belly

The contrast between the worn-out smoothness and the grain in the hewn boat boards on my bare feet
The unexpected splash of fine sea spray from the bow on my face and hands,
The heaviness of dew droplets clinging to my eyebrows and eyelashes, the sea trying to close my eyes

The soothing, swaying displacement of fluid in my ears and brain from the swing of the hammock
The inconsistent, gentle buffeting of the storm breeze, tugging at clothes as if demanding attention
The warm play of light through clouds and trees on insistent, relaxed, thankful, closed eyelids

The thick, creamyness of the air in my nostrils in the afternoon
The aroma of impending rain, the fresh bite of cleanliness shortly after and eventually the breathy sigh of the land as it accepts the water into its body

The smooth and deep feel of freshly washed, high-thread count cotton sheets pulled loose at night
The trusting heaviness of a head on my chest
The tickle of tussled hair in my nose

By Special Request

All you muso's should check out Alex Dean:

http://www.tripleJunearthed.com/AlexDean

As an aside: How cool is TrippleJ! Very Very cool. Can you name me another government run media company that dedicates a portion of its budget to youth music and spends months of every year collecting, compiling, testing, supporting and promoting young, upcoming artists?

Price points (Bali & Tokyo)

This time, its refreshing to be in Bali. For my wallet anyway!

Price point comparison of Bali to Tokyo:

	Bali	Tokyo
Cheap accommodation (per night) including pool / onsen	$12	$120
Feed (Entrée + Local staple + Beer)	$6	$23
Back & neck massage	$5	$60

All prices in AUD and estimated/averaged.

Food in Bali: Satay sticks, Nasi Goreng & Bintang (375ml)

Food in Tokyo: Salmon Sashimi, Ramen with Miso sauce, Sapo (330ml)

There is no doubting though that the quality in Japan is much, much higher, although I never bothered to pay the $60 for the massage there. As a travel destination it boils down to what you want, either:

A decent, relaxing but not superb back & neck massage 12 days in a row from a girl who probably learnt from her mum and knows nothing of biology, in a sightly seedy place where you probably never feel comfortable taking your eyes off your wallet or taking your boxer shorts off for fear of sending the wrong message; 

Or

One massage, including complimentary foot scrub, hot face towel and where the massues has a degree in physiology and forces you to take a shower because they don't want to touch your sweaty body. Kimono's are provided after the shower to prevent you trying to send the wrong message.

Apply the same concepts to food, accommodation and public transport and then decide which travel destination is best for you.