Jozef Imrich, name worthy of Kafka, has his finger on the pulse of any irony of interest and shares his findings to keep you in-the-know with the savviest trend setters and infomaniacs.
''I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.''
-Kurt Vonnegut
Democracy — The Best VPNs to Protect Yourself Online
The problem is that too many reporters are concentrating on who will win the horse race, and not enough are paying attention to the party that wants to kill the horse.
Trump is a soulless piece of garbage. He is under multiple indictments for crimes. He lead an insurrection to overthrow the Government. The world laughs as this sociopath is allowed to run for office again.
If I may, there’s something I need to get off my chest.
As democracy remains under siege, it has been frustrating to watch how the press covers politics these days.
I am reminded by lessons that came to me during the Nixon years as a CBS News correspondent, which I’ll add here:
1. Enough with Both-sides-ism
When one side lies intentionally and repeatedly, they are no longer entitled to the benefit of the doubt. They should be held to account, right away. Do not simply repeat the narratives they spew.
2. Prioritize Live Fact-Checking
Rigorous and robust fact-checking is the best defense against misinformation, intentional lies, and deflection.
If Trump says the sky is green, the story isn’t that the sky is now green; the story is that the sky is still blue and Trump got it wrong.
3. Ask Lawmakers Hard Questions
Ask about the fundamental principles of democracy. Push them to go on the record that Biden won the 2020 election.
Ask if they support the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
This writing is not to offer any claim of knowing it all. Your correspondent has made his share of mistakes, but after more than seven decades I believe I have picked up a few useful guideposts.
Good journalism is always worth it. Our democracy depends on it.
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For the rest of my list, please see my the latest post of my independent newsletter – the link is in my Twitter biography.
The Best VPNs to Protect Yourself Online - Wired ed – “It won’t solve all of your privacy problems, but a virtual private network can make you a less tempting target for hackers. A virtual private network (VPN) is like a protective tunnel you can use to pass through a public network, protecting your data from outside eyes.
Whether you’re worried about hiding your browsing activity from your internet service provider so it doesn’t sell your data to advertisers, or you want to stay safe on a public Wi-Fi hot spot to keep nearby digital snoops from capturing your passwords, a VPN can help protect you. However, while a VPN will keep you safe at your local coffee shop, it comes with a cost. Using a VPN means your VPN provider will know everything about your browsing habits. This makes VPN providers a target for hackers. Be sure you even need one before you read on. Picking the right VPN service is serious business. Most VPN providers say they keep no logs of their users’ activity, but this is rarely verified. You’re stuck taking companies at their word.
For this reason, we’ve limited our testing to VPN providers that have been independently audited by security firms and have published the results. We’ve tested dozens of VPNs; these are the best five we’ve tried. To help you sort out when and why you might want a VPN, as well as why you might not, be sure to read through our complete guide to VPNs below. If you’re sure you want to use a VPN, here are our top picks among commercial VPN providers. Updated February 2024: We’ve added Proton VPN as our top pick for those looking for a free VPN. We’ve also added some more testing notes and answers to common reader questions.”
The small but vocal union for Tax Office staff has accused the main public sector union of a "scare campaign" against its push for a better pay deal.
The vote signalled an endorsement of the Albanese government's 11.2 per cent pay offer, but support was lacklustre compared to the other major agencies.
In the Tax Office, 76.87 per cent of staff voted "yes" on their agreement, compared to 97.1 per cent in Home Affairs.
The Australian Services Union - which represents about 1000 Tax Office staff - had encouraged staff to vote "no" on the agreement, eager to reach a better pay deal by getting the Fair Work Commission involved.
But the ASU was overruled by the Community and Public Sector Union, which opted out of any "no" vote campaigns.
"The CPSU effectively created concern amongst staff about the ASU's approach," ASU branch secretary Jeff Lapidos wrote to staff, in an email seen by Public Eye.
"They said we would lose workplace rights if the [Fair Work Commission] arbitrated our pay claim."
The discontent stems back to Tax Office bureaucrats missing out on pay rises between 2013 and 2017, when bargaining broke down, and staff voted down multiple agreements.
The ASU - which has about 1000 members in the Tax Office - is well-organised, but can't compete with the might of the CPSU, which had more than 40,000 members across the public service at the last count.
ASU tax office branch secretary Jeff Lapidos and CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly. Pictures by Elesa Kurtz
While the unions seem to get on most of the time, the CPSU's focus on a good deal service-wide, has left some ASU members feeling short changed.
"The other significant impression the CPSU created was that everyone would be able to work from home as much as they wished if the staff approved of the agreement," Mr Lapidos wrote.
"This is clearly not the case. But when your finances are very tight, it is very easy to believe what you hope will be the case, that you will be able to save the cost and time of commuting between home and work."
(The new agreement enforces a bias on approving flexible working requests, so long as they suit business needs).
But the CPSU's national secretary Melissa Donnelly stood firm, saying the union gave members "clear and honest information about the pay and conditions package".
"And more than three-quarters of staff voted to accept it," she said.
"More than half of APS employees have now voted on their agency's proposed pay and conditions, with all ballots successful and very strong support from employees."
Mr Lapidos made sure to sign off his email with an attached membership form for the ASU - pick your fighter.
Gorman's shoutout to the 'heart of the APS'
Patrick Gorman is hitting the road on his first public service tour.
The Assistant Public Service Minister is headlining the State of the Service Roadshow in March - apparently a favourite event of APS nerds.
He'll launch the series of talks on March 1 in Perth, but will pop up at Canberra's QT on March 5, in front of 500 keen bureaucrats.
The new(ish) Assistant Minister had a special shoutout for Canberra bubble residents, recognising the national capital is home to 38.1 per cent of the service.
"Canberra is a city built on the concept of public service and it is the heart of our APS," he said.
"But that doesn't mean face-to-face engagement is any less important here.
"Since taking on the role of Assistant Minister for the Public Service in May last year, I have visited public servants across the country.
"I have heard first hand that commitment to service, across our country."
Health pulled up on Primary Health Networks
The national audit office has turned its attention to the Health and Aged Care Department again, this time calling out its failure to properly evaluate the Primary Health Networks in recent years.
While the ANAO found that the department has been "partly effective" in its performance management, it had failed to demonstrate that the PHN model is achieving its objectives (which revolve around improving the effectiveness, efficiency, coordination and access of health services).
PHNs are non-government organisations funded through Australian government grants, established by the Health Department back in July 2015. Since then, the department has committed $11.6 billion to PHNs in grant funding.
The audit office found that the department had a fit-for-purpose plan to evaluate the PHN model up until 2017, but had no evaluation plans for after 2018 "despite a departmental evaluation strategy which indicates the importance of ongoing program monitoring" for programs like this.
"The PHN delivery model has not been comprehensively evaluated to determine whether it is meeting its objectives," the report, published last week, said.
The report made eight recommendations, including developing an evaluation plan for the PHN model, of which the department agreed to seven. Health agreed in principle to the eighth recommendation of implementing a fit-for-purpose IT system to help capture PHN compliance and performance information.
ScoMo farewells public servants
Former prime minister Scott Morrison quit Parliament last week. Picture by Gary Ramage
Here's a name you haven't heard in a while - Phil Gaetjens.
Former prime minister, Scott Morrison, had some kind words for public servants - including the former Prime Minister and Cabinet head - as he farewelled Federal Parliament last week.
"To those who supported me from the public service as a minister, treasurer and prime minister, thank you," Mr Morrison said - encompassing quite a range of people with that reference to "minister".
"Thank you to Phil Gaetjens, who was the head of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, but, particularly, thank you also to Professor Brendan Murphy and Professor Paul Kelly,who became well-known figures."
Defence top brass got special mentions too - including department secretary Greg Moriarty, Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell and Lieutenant-General John Frewen.
"Thank you for all you did to help me secure AUKUS," Mr Morrison said.
"When I left the job after the last election, when we lost, I remember saying to them, 'Now, please don't stuff it up,' which they are not, together with the Minister for Defence."
