Je suis Marianne

Liberte

Eugène Delacroix 

What's that about the pen?

Charlie will live..

The cold blooded killing of twelve in Paris is a shocker. No excuses, no matter what the cause.

Dangerous Missions

TTFN... 

Without so much as a cheery "Ila al-liqa'a" Prime Minister Abbott was off to Iraq on a secretive mission.The media were not invited due to the "heightened Security risk" Presumably the foreign Press were not subject to these concerns.Secrecy was again the order of the day.

Mr Abbott, it seemed, was a little more welcome in Iraq than he will be in Queensland where Campbell Newman is holding a  swiftie state election later this month. 

After discussing methods and strategies, the PM then visited Australian troops thanking them " very, very much" for their presence ( who sent them there?) and adding that "fair dinkum" Ozzies admired their efforts. His effusive thanks no doubt were reflected in their recent 1.5% pay rise. Although a tad below the inflation rate it was a move designed to encourage conversation at the ensuing official barbecue (snags and onions no doubt). 

History has shown that when one is in trouble at home politically, it's a good move to shift one's focus elsewhere. 

As they say in France, the more things change the more they remain the same.

Ho, Hum!

Mr Abbott arrives "ïncognito"in Baghdad

Le Canard not a lemon

Days gone by

I have a special place for the old 2CV( deux chevaux). We travelled from Luxembourg to Brussels on our way to Australia  with two adults, two kids and I believe four suitcases without a glitch or hiccup. Our journey with the old "umbrella on wheels"stopped at Brussels but for fun and excitement little comes near to beating the experience.
It was a challenge at first getting used to the dashboard mounted gear lever  but once one got the hang of it it was fun and a great sense of accomplishment for some reason.
The old 2CV was manufactured from 1948 until 1989 and over 3.8 million of these little icons were produced. Production did continue in Portugal from 1989 - 1990.

Cheap, simple to maintain with low fuel consumption the car was to some extent ahead of its ti,me in an era when cars were expensive and restricted to the fortunate few. It had an extremely long travel suspension offering light off-road capabilities, high ground clearance and height adjustability. Together with the Model T Ford and the 1960 Mini it is an icon for motorheads.

The newer Citroens  unfortunately have a hard time keeping up their reputation being expensive to service and often dogged by design and mechanical problems. Perhaps I had bought a Friday or Monday Xsara but it came nowhere near the performance and sheer enjoyment of the old Canard.

Outcomes of Incomes

Lies,damned lies and statistics

In 2013, October 07, to be precise The Melbourne Mercer Global pension Index proclaimed that we were a lucky bunch of superannuates . The Press seized on this and in their usual modest way proclaimed "Australia's retirement system among world's best!"

Right.

Let's move on to barely a year later when the Global Agewatch Index which monitors quality of life for the elderly has determined that Oz is not among the top 10 of the world's best countries. Australia ranks # 13 ,behind New Zealand Canada and the U.S and others.

Australia has the lowest ranking in the region (61st!) for retirement income security, coming behind Afghanistan (by 20 places) for that category.

For overall well being Afghanistan ranks last.

Statisticians and financial gurus can and do skew surveys to suit their own needs. We only have to scan the reports of how "well "the West is performing in its fight against ISIS or governmental press releases and spin on their performance to feel not so much reassured but a little uncomfortable.

Nevertheless , in my bones, I have an uneasy feeling that all is not well in Cloud Cuckoo land. Retirement is not the time to find this out for certain.

"Happy New Year, Bill!