What is 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start.
Unfortunately there is a large group of people that look for loopholes - work legally, rather than morally/ethically/humanely. While intention of the law needs to be taken into account, it often doesn't appear to.
I often talk about the tax act (exciting, hey). When it was originally written in the 1920s, it wouldn't have been a very big document. Over time, where people have found ways and means to legally reduce their tax (against intention of the Act), the Act has been amended. It is now a massive document and there is a lot of work for tax lawyers and tax accountants. Legal? Yes. Moral/ethical? questionable. I stopped working in tax over 20 years ago. I paid more tax on $44k than a client who 'earned' $800k+.
A lawyer's job is to act in the best interests of their client - which is why it takes a 'special' type of person to be a criminal lawyer/barrister. This brings up the age old question: How do you defend someone that you know is guilty? Often by plea bargaining, pointing the finger at someone else, looking at legal loopholes, often in the gathering and presentation of evidence (which there are a lot of rules around). This is to ensure that there is a 'fair' trial - remember innocent until proven guilty.
I think there are a couple of lawyers on here - they will know better than me.
Most people will agree that the Lawyer X situation put a few people in gaol where they should be. Unfortunately, the rules (that these people don't abide by) mean that there was too much evidence that shouldn't have been used and so they get off.
Is this right? Good moral and ethical questions for our times.
As for Politicians and what they are doing. May the one who looks over us be the judge! It is despicable the lack of truth and honesty.
They wouldn't be allowed to try to get a car home with three wheels, stuck in third gear. Their teams would force them to stop to ensure nothing further goes wrong in case they face penalties for replacing engines, gearboxes etc. Trying to limp home doesn't have many benefits.
The racing this year has been good to watch, with several new circuits and not knowing which cars are going to go well on what circuit, some weekends not having the Friday practice. Within races, there has generally been quite a bit of overtaking - a few exceptions.
As we know from footy, comparing eras and drivers is pretty hard, particularly as it is the combination of car + driver that makes a difference.
Have technology changes made racing better? Certainly faster and safer, but less 'natural' overtaking (need DRS - even that doesn't help on some circuits). Wet weather racing, like footy, often brings out the best.
The markets had priced in Democrats gaining control of both houses some time ago. With this more unlikely, confidence that the wildly centre- right Democrats won't get anything disadvantageous to wealth through parliament, business can proceed as normal.
I used to get lattes with two sugars, as it required some effort to make for my $ I was paying. I then got told that I needed to get some blood back into my sugar so reverted easily to long blacks - my favourite.
Two long blacks in the morning, and a third for arvo tea. Two for the day if one is from a Cafe as they are typically stronger than home made.
Tea is for Chinese restaurants which are frequented regularly. Odd occasion I will have peppermint tea.
Heard an interview this morning with a Republican senator (not sure if a current one). He said how much any sitting Republican is scared stupid of Trump and won't do anything to cross him, as the consequences are too great, citing Mitt Romney as an example.
He then implied that with Trump gone and Biden in, the two parties might be more of a chance to work together a little more constructively. Everyone can only hope!
This would then lead to the Republicans being able to nominate a more moderate candidate for next election, which may help bring a more unified country. (Democrats as well!)
I had a zoom with a philanthropic org this morning. They are certainly Republican, but not necessarily Trump. There is a lot of uncertainty with Biden and how things are going to pan out. They may be jumping at shadows with some of their actions, but that is what uncertainty brings.
I partook in one of those top ten albums that influenced your life things on facebook (must have been a weak moment): Ain't Misbehavin' - Fats Waller Sgt Peppers - Beatles (had to choose one!) Mozart Horn Concertos - from my horn playing days - one day get back into it Hallowed Ground - Violent Femmes The Queen is Dead - The Smiths Swordfishtrombones - Tom Waits (plenty to choose from) Goin Back to New Orleans - Dr John Unltimate Blues Collection - put out by Castle Records? Wrecking Ball - Emmylou Harris Blues Brothers - Soundtrack
I added a few more - Nick Cave, Radiohead, John COltrane, The Pogues, Pulp FIction soundtrack, Buddha Bar, Air, St Germain.
Correct LP, it was human error in our car and n lots of them - bad system. It would have been really easy to have a system that auto calculated dates based on diagnosis eg. Case diagnosed dd/mm/yy close contacts to be tested +x days (provide date), quarantine while waiting for results etc.
LP - It was a dog's breakfast for the Kinder and kids determined as close contacts. Dates and advice were all over the shop and contact from DHHS to us was well outside their guidelines. It was administrative, not anything else. I have deleted texts, but included (amongst other things) that our quarantine period would start from before the case was diagnosed.
Not a surprise, DHHS giving wrong info. When our Kinder had to close and some of us needed tests, we got all sorts of things, none of it right, which wasted buckets of time on the phone. This includes our first contact from DHHS to get tested about 10 days after they were notified of a case and one day before our quarantine was up, because Kinder advised kids to get tested.
Today's non announcement was the most predictable yet.
As for talking down to female journalists. I saw two questions of the press conference before I switched to WBBL. 1) Why has it taken so long? (not sure if that was the full question before it got shut down - certainly not sure what 'it' was referring to). She tried again with the same result. 2) What was the point of the road map? Rubbish question and treated appropriately
My test result was -1 left, +1 authoritarian. Didn't understand some of the questions.
MBB - That article says more about Dan's followers, than Dan. However, if you look at the commonality between Panahi, Credlin, Baxendale and Power, it may tell you why he treats them with disdain.
There absolutely is a mess which he and Sutton should be accountable for, and questions need raising. It will be interesting to see what the inquiry comes back with, particularly as it re-opened its doors - remaining to see how long for.
In terms of his daily conferences - good on him for fronting up, but is there a point anymore? His followers will sing his praises, his critics will ask questions re: hotel quarantines etc and who knew what - which he isn't going to answer and he has said time again that he isn't going to answer, and those that are curious are more likely to have switched off as there isn't really anything new being said.
Early on, when he was outlining stages, at one point he said there will be a stage 4 (I think we were in stage 2) - it was like he was making things up on the spot as you do with young kids. Unfortunately, people now are questioning seeming inconsistencies and as things are going to be relaxed, it still seems like they are randomly making it up.
It is going to be hard to have controls policed once things do start opening up, because we are champing at the bit to get out of our house and back into things.
Some States open postal/absentee voting 55 days before the election - what were the issues then, and what impact would those have had? Anything that happens over the next two weeks has a lower impact due to the general rise of postal voting.
It would be interesting to understand the motivations of people to enrol to vote. I suspect that there would have to be a huge injection of new 'enrolees' voting for Bidden in order for Trump to lose (and be in the right regions). Most of those already enrolled would be doing so because they support a party and vote those lines, so can't imagine much of a change.
Voting for change as a population is harder than status quo.
Polling is now unreliable, particularly if done the traditional way.
