Sunday, April 27, 2008



If you stick your neck out, be prepared to have your head cut off – ouch …

There's an old Slavic saying that describes the master-servant relationship. It goes: I'm the boss, you're an idiot. You're the boss, I'm an idiot. Overhead in the Two Good Eggs: The property tax system is busted, and we’re at the end of the road … The blast from the past, Malcolm Farr, noted in the Daily Telegraph on 24/04/2008 ( Families struggle as 13th rate rise looms) Spending cuts in next month's Federal Budget could be even more severe after a round of price rises drained family purses and boosted inflation by more than 4 per cent. Chances of a cut in interest rates this year have been erased by the inflation jump, and a 13th rise in a row is now in prospect
H E may be the state's Housing Minister but, as a landlord, Matt Brown claims to not know what is going on State Housing Minister has 14 landservants warning PDF list Landlords and Landladies: the wild men and women of Sydney

Can we change the heart of politics? MP cashes in on rental crisis
NOBODY can say NSW Housing Minister Matt Brown isn't qualified for his portfolio. After all, the member for Kiama owns 14 investment properties, which must afford the Minister some special insights into housing issues.

According to the Parliament's pecuniary interests register, 47 out of the 135 MPs in NSW have second homes or rental investment properties - many have multiple properties.
Mr Brown is the most prolific landlord in Parliament, with properties listed in Ultimo, Inverell, Ayr, Rotorua (NZ), White Rock, Secret Harbour, Brisbane, Canningvale, Campbelltown, South Brisbane, Bushlands Beach, two more lots in undisclosed locations as well as his home in Kiama. House leader John Aquilina is also a leader in the property stakes, with an investment apartment in York St, on top of his family home in Blacktown and a holiday house - plus adjoining vacant lot - in Portland. Police Minister David Campbell has six properties in total - although two of them are car spaces - including two apartments in Potts Point. Nationals MP George Souris has 12, including properties in Redfern, Surry Hills and Darling Point - as well as six in Kythera, Greece.


• Politicians like Lawyers are already drunk with power Masters and servants; [People who rort the NSW public housing system are costing taxpayers up to $53 million a year, prompting a new crackdown by the state government Rich and Poor; Property agents cash in on housing squeeze: I have always loved a good conspiracy thriller, easily sucked in by the conflict of secrecy and spies, honour and betrayal, the darkness in the shadows Internal affairs ]
• · STOCK market. Once upon a time that meant what it says: redolent with the smells of cattle and manure, a place for selling beef on the hoof. Lately stock markets around the world have been anything but bullish, and billions are being lost. After riding high for so long, many an investor and broker is now broke. That great Texan put-down comes to mind: “All Stetson, no cattle.” Our hearts go out to them. At least they’ll be relieved of the burdens of tax avoidance and luxury purchases. Mysterious bank accounts from Switzerland to the Maldives will be cleaned out – and the purveyors of preposterously expensive clothing, cars, wristwatches and paintings will be in for a long, lonely winter. Bears ate my Ferrari: Bulls***; Homelessness will be a test of the Rudd government A roof over every head ; Big house, big car, big TV, big mortgage? And you can't make ends meet 'Can't make ends meet' syndrome
• · · Developing a strategy that will lead to a sustainable competitive advantage often requires a broader set of leadership competencies - Interpersonal skills are equally if not more vital since they enable a leader to tap into the knowledge and experience Characteristics of effective leadership: strategic acumen ; Robert Gates and Vladimir Putin are the outstanding personal successes produced respectively by the intelligence services of America and Russia over the second half of the 20th century. How (not) to maintain and manage power
• · · · HSBC today faced the prospect of an investigation by the City watchdog [UK's Financial Services Authority] after admitting it had lost a disc containing details of 370,000 customers. The disc went missing around four weeks ago after being sent with an external courier from the group's offices in Southampton to a reinsurer. It contained the names, dates of birth and insurance cover levels of people with life assurance at the bank, generally linked to a mortgage HSBC faces probe after lost customer data disc ; 250 IT Managers from each of the following countries Australia … Skills gaps in the world's IT workforce
• · · · · Nation's future health goes on life support. Think prevention - not just cure: this is how Australia must fight emerging epidemics. Stopping the Cold River of illness at its source; The Governance stream at the Summit produced enough ideas to keep us going until 2020 The post-Summit buzz
• · · · · · No job is completely recession-proof, but if you follow these six guidelines you may avoid becoming a 'recession casualty' by keeping your career on track 6 ways to recession-proof your career; you're tired of struggling to find a job and don't want an economic slowdown to hurt your chances of landing a new one, try these tips for conducting a job search when times are tight. 10 secrets for searching for a job during a recession If