Life

Interesting Things.

Chinese to ban eating shark fin.

July 12, 2012 by The Last Picasso Leave a Comment

Illegal Shark Fin catch

Plans by the People’s Republic of China to outlaw the consumption of shark fin at official receptions may cause a downturn in the export of that commodity from Indonesia, and significantly aid efforts to conserve dwindling shark populations in the world’s oceans.

According to CNN, the ban on shark fin at official dinners in China will be introduced over three years.

The PRC government’s move, apparently, is less motivated by environmental awareness than a desire to decrease the cost of official state dinners amidst the skyrocketing cost of shark fins harvested from a dwindling population of sharks. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interesting Stuff

What is a People Smuggler?

July 5, 2012 by The Last Picasso Leave a Comment

Asylum Seeker Boat

In my humble opinion, ‘people smugglers’ are simply people charging money to transport people from one place to another. Who made it illegal to do that?

No matter how refugees get to a country, or apply to be accepted into a country, it will cost them money.

While Australian politicians are trying to score political points using the lives of asylum seekers, have any of them given a thought to why these people come here on these unsafe boats, and whether their political games should have them accused of manslaughter?

It is highly unlikely that in the most war torn parts of the world from where people are most desperate to escape there will be an available embassy or consulate for their use. Therefore these people will attempt any means, no matter how risky, to escape and find sanctuary in a safer place. We in Australia all know how many people have lost their lives on the boats. Yet this is considered by the refugees to be safer than staying where they were.

Why shouldn’t these people be afforded the right to have their asylum application considered no matter how or where they get to a processing place?
Why should the people who help them escape from the potential fate of death be called smugglers, and their occupation be deemed illegal?

Filed Under: Just A Thought

Political Opposition

March 30, 2012 by The Last Picasso Leave a Comment

I can’t believe how stupid the Queensland Labor Party is. After getting a well deserved thrashing in the 2012 election, the only comment I’ve heard from the new leader, Ms Unpronounceable, is bleating about the LNP jobs for the boys as they try to clean up the Labor mess.

If Labor ever want my vote again they better come up with constructive comments instead of opposing just for the sake of opposing.

And Tony Rabbit in Canberra better take note too.

Filed Under: Just A Thought

Revenue raising with Speed Traps is a Good Thing!

September 1, 2011 by The Last Picasso Leave a Comment

Obey the Speed Limit and watch the world go by!

Everyone seems to try to go that little bit over the speed limit but me. I sit at the speed limit, not below it, and am overtaken by many more vehicles of all sizes than I overtake.

I think they should increase the number of speed traps, keep them hidden, and increase the penalties. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Just A Thought

Another episode with the Queensland Justice System

August 26, 2011 by The Last Picasso 2 Comments

On August 19, 2011, I posted in this same category, an article entitled “An experience with the Queensland Justice System”, in which I related the frustrations of having an action taken through QCAT (Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal).

I have another one. This one can not go through QCAT though, as I found out during the early stages of filing the documents.

I am a director and treasurer of a club. We are seeking compensation for debts that we incurred because of the untimely manner in which our auditors audited our Financial Statements. They had not delivered our audited documents by ASIC’s due date for lodgement. ASIC fined us for late lodgement. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Interesting Stuff

Should Extremists be Deported?

August 22, 2011 by The Last Picasso Leave a Comment

There have been emails circulating for some years that are attributed to several of Australia’s Prime Ministers, primarily John Howard, with additional comments by his then deputy, Peter Costello. These emails are strongly worded public statements that suggest that all extremists, especially Islamic extremists, be deported.

To clear up a point, the original was drafted by an American for use in America. It has since been amended by several people with their own agenda, and attributed to various statesmen and women. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Oz Opinion

Should Telephone & Internet Plans be Banned?

August 22, 2011 by The Last Picasso Leave a Comment

Everyone is confused with telephone and internet plans. That’s not even an issue. The reason the providers do it is so that the customer must compare apples with oranges. If all that the providers could do was charge so much per call or time period, it would be blatantly obvious who was the cheaper. They can’t have that. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Oz Opinion

Population Cap or Population Growth?

August 22, 2011 by The Last Picasso Leave a Comment

Sometime in 2011 the 7 billionth person will be born on Earth. Australia has about 22 million inhabitants. When is enough enough?

It appears that the only things stopping us expanding the population until everyone on Earth is shoulder to shoulder is lack of food and water, a good war, a good pandemic, and climate change. Of course we will also run out of raw materials to make the economies tick over. Eventually, after all of the above has occurred, everyone left will survive by subsistence farming. Back to the beginning! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Oz Opinion

Do we need State Governments?

August 21, 2011 by The Last Picasso 2 Comments

When it took a week by sea or stage coach to get a message between Brisbane and Sydney, state governments were useful.

Since the telephone and aeroplane were invented, and we now have the internet, can Australia afford three levels of government, replicating and conflicting with each other? It seems a very inefficient system to me. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Oz Opinion