Australian Population and Government spending

After reading a news report that the Australian Government is going to spend $64 Million on a crack down on crime I crunched some numbers.

As of the 3rd March 2013 the Australian population is 22,936,614.

Now, if the Government invested that $64Million, giving 2.79 Million into an account for each and every Australian, they could wipe out poverty and the need for welfare in a single stroke.

 By investing $2.79 million (which is the $64 divided by the population) in to accounts that earns interest, each Australian could be given a dividend over the year that would amount to $139,500 based on a 5% interest rate for the investment.

 Given that the minimum wage in Australia is around $31,512 per year, the $139,500 would not be sniffed at by many.

 The Government can take tax from that and every one would still come out with a nice little earner.

  In fact, the Government would earn more money from taxes than they do now. They could stop welfare and save even more by not giving handouts. 

 To ensure that Australia doesn't collapse in on itself due to all of this money, people will still have to work to prevent to economy from going stagnant, and there would have to be incentives to ensure people start businesses and hire staff.

Because human nature is what it is, there would also have to be some controls on how and what people spend their money on, otherwise they might waste it all on drugs and alcohol.

Makes you think though...

Sports talk

I am from time to time a sports nut. The trouble with the sports I follow is that you need pay tv to watch the games. Assuming they show the games you want to watch on pay tv that is.

 I can't afford pay tv, so I don't get to watch the sports I like.

 I could watch AFL, but I hate that with a passion.

 Instead I want to watch games that are hard to see - typical.

 I want to watch the A-League football - can't watch my own Nation's football games on free to air. I can't even watch the National Team, the Socceroos, play on free to air! And you can write off the J-League (go Urawa Reds!) completely.
 For some reason I can watch the Euro Games, some Italian and South American games that are on at the moment, but meh.
 Thank **** that I can watch the FIFA World Cup games - but that is only on once every four years. I can't watch any of the qualifying games though - only the World Cup finals.

 I want to watch Super 15s Rugby - can't watch my own Nation's national teams on free to air.

 I want to watch International Rugby games - they show some of the games the Wallabies play, but usually at stupid times. But, I am not a Wallabies fan, oh no, I am an All Blacks fan (long story), and unless they play Australia, I don't get to see the games on free to air.

I love the NHL (Ice Hockey) - no chance of that ever being on free to air.

I am into MLB (Baseball) - shock horror, they do show some of the games on free to air, but it is a lucky dip as to what team you get to watch at stupid times of the day.

So, as you can see, as a sports fan (of real sports that is) in Australia I don't get to watch many games.

Well, I think I have hit the jack pot. I found a web site that streams games live - and I will be able to watch my favorite teams play: Melbourne Victory, Urawa Reds, the Socceroos, Vancouver Canucks, New York Yankees and, best of all, the All Blacks.

 Pretty Freaking Awesome if you ask me.

Oh, and you can see one of the reasons I am an Urawa Reds fan:

manners and instant karma

I was in the supermarket the other day and I gave way to a woman in the aisle so that she could get past as the area I was in would only take one shopping trolly in the gap the store workers left for customers while stocking the shelves.

 I didn't have to do this as I had right of way and I was in the area first. But I did give way as I was brought up to be a Gentleman.

 The woman (note I am not calling her a lady) just swanned past me as if it was her god given right and didn't even say 'thank you' let alone give any acknowledgement as to what I had done.

 A thank you goes a long way when you are a Gentleman.

 After picking up a few extra items I wanted I was in the queue for a checkout, as as typical in shopping centres world wide, a gaggle of gossipy women formed behind me in the queue as commenced to talk about anything and everything that is pointless.

 As I was placing my items on the conveyer belt of the checkout I noticed the same lady that I had given way to trying to get past the gossip girls.

 But they didn't give way to her.

 She didn't say 'excuse me' to them.

 She ended up having to go back the way she had traveled to get to the area she wanted via a different route.

 I smiled to myself as I saw this as instant karma for her lack of manners.

So remember folks, manners go a long way, and keep people happy :-)

Tsunami and Fukushima - one year on

Today marks the first year since the Tsunami that devastated Fukushima and surrounding areas.

 I was fortunate that I didn't loose anyone in the disaster, but for a while I was frantic with worry.  At the times I was talking online with Mrs Shelldrake who was in Japan at the time.

 As we were talking she said "uh oh! Earthquake".

These were her last words to me. As soon as she uttered those words we were cut off.

I couldn't get back in touch with her, as a few minutes later the news was reporting a massive earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. They didn't say at the time where it was.

 This only made me worry even more.

 I tried to get back in touch with Mrs Shelldrake without success through out the evening.

 That night was one of the worst I have ever experienced.

 The next day had better news for me - with limited power back on in parts of Japan I received a phone call letting me know that she was ok.

 I was lucky. Many others were not.

My thoughts go out to those who were effects, and those still without homes and loved ones.

Man nuts!

I saw this while travelling through Melbourne last weekend, and it made me wonder.

 Are the advertising people wanting to sell to a female customer base, or are they so advanced in their thinking that they are light years ahead of everyone else?

The billboard was for an ice cream. Unlike other ice creams this one boast it may contain traces of the special ingredient "man nuts".

Now I don't know about you, but I for one wont be eating this product. I have no intention of letting man nuts any where near my mouth.

 This might be a winner for the Ladies, but I suspect the sales to male customers might drop off.

My soapbox

Every now and then I want to post something on my blog, but these things are not related to my hobby, so I never end up posting.

 So, rather than fill my blog up with random items I have decided to create a non hobby blog where I can let off steam every now and then.