Jim Spears

Sydney, New South Wales, AUSTRALIA


Joined April 30th 2008

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56

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10

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6



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45 Post(s)

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Recent Posts

Tasmania

November 18th 2009 06:19
Better than ever
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Addicts in Canberra

September 13th 2009 13:39
Canberra's corridors have been rocked by claims that prominent politicians remain addicted to "Work Choices". It follows John Howard's appearance on Sky News over the weekend.

Wayne Swan was on the Gold Coast, clearly concerned, when he said 'I think that commentary provides confirmation that the Liberal and National parties remain Work Choices addicts'


A growing, if anonymous, group of politicians are speaking out about being accosted in corridors, car parks, lobbies and even during dinner by the addicts.

'It never stops.Always armed with new facts and proposals. Sometimes they will ring my phone every ten minutes.'

'He would knock on my office door without setting an appointment, or he would wait in the foyer until I left my office. Always wanting more Work Choices - talking about the past, what could happen in the future. All kinds of disgusting deals.'

'You didn't feel safe moving around Parliament House anymore. It will only get worse now that their leader is out pushing again.'

The highly placed source was adamant that steps be taken before parliament closes or 'our hands will be tied and these addicts could be free to harm the public.'






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The Rum Rebellion

September 12th 2009 00:51
was pretty cool.

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Location

July 13th 2009 07:29
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Entertainment News

March 7th 2009 05:45
Breaking News from Hollywood!

Steve Carell has signed on to play "The Shark" in a remake of "Jaws".
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Viagra Inc.

January 11th 2009 16:49
For centuries men over a certain age have enjoyed the privileges of sexual trading where they swap old models for new but science is starting to reveal a dark side to this cycle as performance enhancing drugs become the most exciting thing to happen to chemistry since Timothy Leary. Guaranteeing Man's sexual stamina is the Holy Grail of the 21st century with everything from pills to nasal sprays promising to restore glory. The 20th century will be remembered as masculinity's last stand; the emergence of Feminism wrought changes in sexual politics that opened sexual trading up to women. Celebrity toy-boys have replaced puppies and adopted children as the Hollywood fad.

The Advanced Medical Institute offers a range of products for dysfunctional sexuality and they have clinics from Phoenix to Jakarta. With the C.I.A. dispensing Viagra to Afghan warlords to help win the War on Terror the stakes will just continue to grow. Attempting to win a C.I.A guaranteed export market the Advanced Medical Institute has been forced to sell a difficult product through traditional channels risking the rancour of the masculine elite. Advertising these products is harder than you'd think; in a single fortnight 450 complaints were lodged over ads in London that innocently asked "Want longer lasting SEX?"
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The Price for Appearance

December 20th 2008 16:33
The modern celebrity is forced to go through painful processes to maintain a popular appearances but when it helps avoid scrutiny of records and performance it is worth financial and physical pain. Italian President Silvio Berlescuni and Queensland Premier Bligh are recent celebrity devotees to cosmetic surgery but as trends go political appearances are no fad.

Abraham Lincoln is the greatest champion of the people in history (when long careers of success are the yardstick). More than any simple act, like voting in 1835 for the state, Chicago, rather than the party, Lincoln was a man with a beard. Lincoln developed the authority to grow a beard after working hard for "common folk..[for] moderate fees" Beard approvals in 19th century America were notoriously hard to obtain


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Sydney's Mean Streets

December 14th 2008 17:59
I remember Olde Sydney and it was not situated so far north as Gosford. It was located in the blood of The People, mixed blood of 200 years immigration. Sydney was always the first port and the introduction to a tough and unforgiving land for every race; many white men were lost to the Outback.

With nature strips and mass transit Sydney was forever changed and the community bound by hard slog developed geographic divisions that create difference and, eventually, prejudice. For mixed-race couples parts of Sydney are no go zones; you wouldn't dare swing hands together in eastern Sydney. Instilled with the White Man's belief system these areas of Sydney have become hate's haven


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The Wealthy Speak Out

December 1st 2008 12:36
Deep inside all of us lives a little filthy rich industrialist, tyrant or entrepreneur which dreams of bullying and selling people. For over 80% of the population these will remain idle daydreams but the wealthy 20% face lifestyle changes that will seperate them from their communities. Differences in lifestyles can often bred resentment and impotent anger rather than understanding but wealthy individuals are setting out on a PR offensive to change this pattern. The richest member of the Billionaire's Club of Duckburg, "Uncle" Scrooge McDuck, has been central to the campaign as figurehead and leader.

Public perception was targeted early as one area where wealthy individuals felt they were being unfairly treated: "There is only one minority whose entire population, that's 100%, everyone, needs legal protection: Fortune 500 CEOs. CEOs and businessmen live like parolees where every move is dictated by laws and regulations and every moment shadowed by teams of lawyers; wouldn't that make you feel like a criminal? Free association allows them to huddle together and share woes; no-one understands how lonely it can get up there. When it all goes wrong for them they might get parachutes but they fall as individuals


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Australian Flag: Aussie Battler

October 28th 2008 17:27
Australian Flag
Flag of Australia
If anyone cared to make Australian stereotypes the Aussie battler would be in the top five. The Aussie battler fights all odds; social, financial, romantic, cricketing but challenges are bested rather than overcome. Woe bedevils the battler but they give in. The Aussie battler is seen in much of Australian culture from politics, tabloid tv and sport and unfortunately the Australian flag. The Australian flag hasn't enjoyed easy days since it was unveiled in 1901.

The Bulletin was fierce labeling it a "bastard flag" after the Commonwealth unveiled the winning design. The official competition had 7 criteria: loyalty to the empire, Federation, history, heraldry, distinctiveness, utility and cost of manufacture. Most believed that a design without the union flag and the southern cross would not be successful. The Australian flag was overlooked or not considered by early leaders, PM Barton was known to prefer the Australian Federation Flag and was the first of many prime ministers to be unconvinced by the design. Seven judges whittled the 32,000 options down to the five entries that evoked the Anti-Transportation League flag from 1849 and the Victorian flag first used in 1854.
Australian Federation Flag
Australian Federation Flag

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Recent Comments

Comment by Jim Spears
on The Price for Appearance

January 11th 2009 17:09
Thank ye Norman,

Not as good as this though


Comment by Jim Spears
on Losing Players

September 25th 2008 07:13
Thanks mate,

The short answer is no we don't have free agency like American sports. Although the Australian Football League (AFL) has a draft similar to American sports like football and basketball.

Australia supports four football codes: soccer, rugby union, Australian football and rugby league which means player payments are heavily regulated. Soccer, rugby league and AFL operate with a salary cap. ($1.8m AUD for soccer, $4.1m AUD for rugby league and $8.5m AUD for AFL.) This was designed to stop the situation you describe.

I understand what you are saying tho, my favourite baseball players for example were Kirby Puckett (one club man) and Ozzie Smith (two clubs but mostly the 'Cards) these guys played not that long ago but it seems like an age has passed since those days...

Comment by Jim Spears
on Rodney Dangerfield Quotes

September 24th 2008 08:53
So cool!!!!!!!!

This made me remember "Back to School" and the awesome scene with Sam...

Good times....

Janet

I'm going to stick to Madarin because in 30 years the Latin languages will be almost dead languages and considering the scientific innovation on display in Korea, China I reckon in 30 years Western Science will be a historical concept...

Awesome

My concerns would be language related also...Everyone will be speaking Mandarin but they won't be able to explain why, so my recently unfrozen brain will probably implode. Scary stuff....

Comment by Jim Spears
on Free the Police

August 15th 2008 09:39
A cleansing or baptism perhaps?

World-wide is too grand for such an openly repressive movement until the age of robotic warfare at least. Then we could this plan out for a spin...

I agree that we are in a state of flux but this is characteristic of any change in epoch. As historical periods change a dominant culture would experience the death of hope; there is nowhere to go but down. Perhaps we are in the process of resetting?

I'd argue that the bigger problem is not with individualist v collectivist but that "our" collectivisms are incompatible in the same way that French, British, Spanish empires were incompatible. The exception would be the Green Movement which has potential for global cohesiveness in future generations but that is tainted by political, economic disequilibrium. For now. My hunch is that the spirit of collectivism is returning (but it is just a hunch) and it has the potential to create a new, truly global, Civilisation. Maybe through the green movement, could Al Gore be the benevolent dictator? That is scary.

Sovereignty would make it difficult to impose one gov and multiple police-states would squash all rebellion in alliances. I'm a gambling man, where do we start?

Yeah!!! Let's storm Parliament!

Awesome.

Comment by Jim Spears
on Gategate: The Story of D-Unit and Bel

July 8th 2008 06:25
It's not meant to be fun Janet, it is meant to change democracy from the bottom up. Maybe I should re-write it? Jks.

Thanks,
Jim

Comment by Jim Spears
on Hatred in Australian Politics

June 5th 2008 03:15
Who could forget Hawkey? The funny thing about both Bob Hawke and Mark Latham is their high intelligence(s). Bob Hawke is surely the only Rhodes Scholar with a Guinness Book of Records drinking title.

The problem is the short-sighted political style...John Howard had an awesome throw away line once: "I will never, ever introduce a GST" He said that before he got elected and never, really, had to pay for it.

Exploitvie, worried and maybe insecure?
Release the hounds...

Comment by Jim Spears
on Santa and other Communists

May 20th 2008 06:34
oh Reginald? I disagree.
BUT I concede I skimmed a lil.
In Mundy's case his father's philosophy that encouraged obligation and the behaviour of farmers during the depression seemed to have made him a commie before he knew it existed. From his experience it seems that farmers would regularly work as a collective during the depression to ensure that their families were fed. They would barter with other farmers for what they would need....Kind of like the invisible hand of Marx? Mundy's father had a herd of dairy cattle that he would move around from farm to farm.