Farming And Suicide


Farming is amongst the toughest jobs out there. The hours are long, there’s no guarantee of success, and there are a lot of factors at play that aren’t under the farmer’s control.

Farmers are reliant on the weather, which is something they have no control over, and often fields of crops fail due to a variety of things, such as too little rain, too much rain, hurricanes, pests, insects, wild animals (kangaroos and deer especially) and a whole host of different factors. And because of these crop failures, farmers are unable to repay their debts to suppliers and banks, and get deeper and deeper into debt. It’s a very tough situation.

Another problem which compounds the debt issues, is the big chain stores, such as Safeway/Woolworths, IGA (Independant Grocers of Australia), Coles and all the other big chain stores don’t pay farmers as much as they should for the quality of farmer’s produce. One figure which I’ve heard quoted (and which I’m unable to verify) is that farmers are paid 10c for every dollar that the chain stores sell the produce for. That’s incredibly low. Should grocery stores really be able to receive a 90% profit on goods they only have the responsibility to sell? I know it’s the market at work, but it still seems highly unfair.

The weather, failure of crops, increasing debt, long hours and minimal profit (if any) would lead any person to dispair, and it frequently does. In fact, it leads farmers to such depths of despair that many see suicide as the only option, and take their own lives. It’s a terrible situation, and there should be more community and governmental support for those who provide us with food.
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Dont ask how I found this….


Ever wondered what it would be like to have sex for a living?

Imagine being paid to do nothing but rut your brains out, and be paid for it. The champagne, fast cars and mansions you would be able to get with your loot? Read the rest of this entry »

Civil Liberties Groups Are Funny…


…although, that’s in the same way that a car crash is funny.

Civil liberties groups in Australia are complaining about new laws proposed by Labor that would allow security agencies to intercept emails.

However, as you’ll read, they’re complaining that employers will then be able to read email with the intention of finding a reason to fire an employee. They completely miss the major error in this thinking: if you’re sending personal emails on work time on company equipment, your employer already has the complete right to read what you are sending!

As is often the case, civil liberties groups are making Much Ado About The Wrong Issue.

Big surprise.

Mecca Governor in Special Bulletin: Women Must Join the Workforce


In a special bulletin published last month, Governor of Mecca Prince Khaled Al-Faisal stated that women joining the workforce is important for both women and society. Al-Faisal emphasized that the Ministry of Labor is responsible for “implementing the rules of women’s employment as hired workers,” in line with the decision of the Saudi government three years ago.

My heart be still…This can’t be. The chattel treatment being abandoned?

Big question(s) IS, (IF this comes into being) will these women be allowed to DRIVE themselves to and from the workplace? Must they be accompanied by their fathers, uncles, brothers? Will they be stoned to death, beheaded or killed for the honor of their family, if say they show more then one eye?

MEMRI Blog

All of a sudden, I get that ‘wanted’ feeling.


It wasn’t so long ago that older workers were rated somewhere below lepers by many business managers. Now those same managers are being advised on ways to keep their older staff happy.

More proof, if it was ever needed, that a lot of ‘managers’ couldn’t manage to find their own butts without assistance.

Today’s Stupid Post


Halberstram replied to Rosemary
Tue 01 Apr 08 (11:11am)

Rosemary, from what I have seen, anybody who doesn’t make at least double the average wage is mildly retarded.

You’d have to have a mighty slow intellect not to be able to pull down six figures these days.

Get a better job is my advice to working families.

He clearly doesn’t know how they get the average wage.

Or know that not every person can take advantage of every opportunity.

Or that most of the jobs he relies on probably don’t pull down six figures. If anything, they’d pull $120,000 or less.

Asswipe.

life is good at last


i have just been offered and i accepted a new position at work. i love the company i have been working for the last 15 years. yet the boss i have had for the last 10.. well she is called the dragon lady. so finally i get to work for a man whom i admire. in the last 3 years he has turned the IT dept from a bunch of grumpy old fools into a group that one can actually like. he didnt fire anyone, he just brought out the best of those there. so i am pleased to accept his offer for my employment with him. and he is jazzed that i actually wanted to work for him! as he said.. it is a perfect fit

so i thought i would share this good news with you .. before i have to tell the dragon lady i am history!

Some Gigs ARE Better than Others


No, really…

truck_02.jpg

My favorite “local” gig is at Cibolo Creek Ranch, a high-zoot resort for the rich and famous, as well as people who just have a lot of money (It’s a 130 mile round trip, which is nothing out here). I only get out there a couple of times a year, mostly because a few other local musicians who have been around here longer than I have ins to the place. So…

I had a blowout on the Ranch on the way in to the gig. Fortunately, the photographer was five minutes behind me, and she gave me a ride to the office. Unfortunately, her Honda Element was too small and packed with camera gear for me to put my stuff in. Fortunately, the hotel and events manager had a ranch truck handy, and so we went out and got my stuff.

I had been wanting to get some face time with this guy, and since it was a five mile ride back to my truck, I had my chance. This guy, it turns out, has managed hotels on Saipan, Guam, and three Hawaiian Islands… I’ve been to all of those places, and we hit it off great.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to change the tire before the gig, so we left my truck out on the ranch, and went back to do the shindig. I played really well… considering my stress level: “Am I going to have any light left to change that tire in?!” Fortunately, the gig was short.

Unfortunately, the HM had to schmooze with the guests; fortunately, the General Manager was available. Nobody ever gets face time with this guy! He was kind of distant at first – typical white person typical hard-ass cowboy – but then he asked… about my vehicle. Cowboys. like. trucks. We hit it off too, and both of them made sure they had my contact info before I left. Yesssssss!

Unfortunately, I had to change the tire wearing my suit (Well, the pants anyway), and it’s a disaster. ARG!

And I need new tires… at $450.00 a pop (Pun intended). Fuck. More beer.

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