Proposed illegal cash laws in Australia

Absolutely ridiculous.

 - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-20/transacting-$10,000-or-more-in-cash-could-make-you-a-criminal/11429230

 Lets be clear im ridiculously strict when it comes to taxes and i've never smudge the line even a little bit, but this law saying you cant save in cash is DRACONIAN and anti-citizen.

 If i choose NOT to trust the government OR banks and choose NOT to keep my savings in a bank that i think may potentially fail and do a bad job.....then that is my right to do so.

 Thats does NOT make someone a criminal (irony is i dont have bundles of cash.......i just dont want the Aust govt to remove my right to do so).

Nothing really matters......

This article sums up how im feeling this week perfectly.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/08/arrogance-anthropocene/595795/

Feeling the weight of entropy this week. To be honest....feel like chucking the whole thing in and going sailing.

Vegetarian butchers

Great article in todays NY Times. I think more people should have to butcher their own meals once in a while, would give them more of an appreciation of what it is that they are eating.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/06/dining/butchers-meat-vegetarian-vegan.html?

Why all the hate against this ship??

Yes Amazon may not have paid income taxes on profits as they keep investing revenue into building the company even bigger but Bezos personally paid a ton of income taxes and his employees who have jobs did as well..

 I dont get why people are so upset at him being rich AND NOT thinking....wow i should go start a business myself and get rich as well.

https://www.facebook.com/PeopleForBernie/photos/a.1657630031123871/2537956033091262

Hero or Villain

Four Corners on Australian ABC TV did a story on Julian Assange last night.

 Available for viewing for everyone around the world on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtelzRAPlT8&list=PLn2RjxYNpcayaQ5EBE9pp2axA418qJNqP&index=2&t=0s

Smart software enabled real estate

Read this really interesting article in the paper version of Fortune magazine on the weekend.

 Love that they are spending an estimated $600,000 in renovations each and every day......talk about economies of scale (and that their software can predict rehab costs to within 5% on average).

Wonder if something similar would fly in Australia.
 - https://fortune.com/longform/single-family-home-ai-algorithms/


Cheers,
Dean

alternative-abattoirs

Great video from Landline about "on farm" abattoirs
 - https://www.abc.net.au/landline/alternative-abattoirs:-on-farm-alternatives-to/11264628?

So you worked your 40 quarters.... but its time to go home-what happens to all that Social Security you paid?

The only 2 countries they WONT send SS to is North Korea and Cuba.

This is whether you are a citizen or not.


There are certain countries where you have to "Proof of life" yourself after 6 months (at an embassy etc Ukraine Uzbeckistan etc etc).


But if you have "earned your own" Social Security (eg 40 quarters) and are a citizen of these countries
https://www.ssa.gov/international/countrylist1.htm
or
https://www.ssa.gov/international/countrylist2.htm


Then you will keep getting paid after 6 months even if you have given up citizenship and are no longer a citizen/resident of the USA.


All the information is here https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10137.pdf


Or use this tool https://www.ssa.gov/international/payments_outsideUS.html


There is a good article on tax withholdings etc here at https://www.investopedia.com/advisor-network/articles/social-security-benefits-nonus-citizens/ (short answer is they withhold 30% and then you have to file taxes to get some of it back).


Its pretty simple really.

"Iran" targets oil tankers

Excellent reporting by @Tina_Davis on @BloombergTV about the very suspect choice of targets......well done. Thank you for being a real reporter and not chowing down on what we are being fed.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-12/oil-holds-near-lows-on-u-s-stockpile-build-poor-demand-outlook

It heartens me to see how many social media comments there are after Pompeo's press conference from the State Department where ordinary people are calling out the USA on this BS and his claims.......but it also saddens me that so many many people no longer trust their government.

It shouldn't be this way.

 :(

AFP raid ABC News in Sydney :(

“In a free state, there should always be an inquirer asking on behalf of the people.” - John Norvell


https://twitter.com/deancollins/status/1136275555261833216



Very disappointed in the Australian government tactics here. The fact that these articles are written last year but the raids were held off until after the election disgusts me.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/world/australia/journalist-raid-annika-smethurst.html?


If your decisions can't handle a little sunlight.....then should you be doing them at all?


Shame on you ScoMo