McDonald's to Deliver

McDonald's has to do something to compete. Last year many branches ran at a loss. Apart from offering so called "healthy meals" several years ago, little has changed. The healthy meals strategy was an absolute failure.  Their Angus Burger was a flop as well.

They are going into an area that competitors have found difficult for years - the home delivery of take away meals. Instead of offering the whole menu, McDonald's is creating family packs. This is to increase income per delivery. It may work in Sydney in the short term, but people will ask for extras from the standard menu.

Another problem is getting delivery drivers at the appallingly low rate of pay. Just about every other pizza shop has a permanent "Delivery Drivers Wanted" sign in the window. Many businesses are forced to buy their own deliver vehicles because people don't want the wear and tear on the own car.

The main issue is portion size at McDonald's. They have the audacity to call their "tiny" burger a Big Mac. The chips are not comparable to even one potato. The main threat is Hungry Jack's. Their complete meal with ice cream at $4.95 is a definite winner. And the $2.00 for separates is also a good deal. Note, Hungry Jack's is drawing customers into the shop. The road that McDonald's has chosen is not lined with gold. They need to change the offerings at the shop.
Hospitality by Ty Buchanan
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Cat Fencing

"It was your idea!"
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Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
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New Clam in Australia

There are many kinds of clams, some of them very large. The bigger ones are classified as "giant" clams. All were thought to be known. However, a new species has been identified. Examples were found at Ningaloo in Western Australia and near the Solomon Islands.

The reason it has been overlooked for so long is because it is very similar to Tridacna maxima, which is quite common. There are a plethora of colors including yellow, green, brown and blues. They are in many different shades of these main colors.

Clams produce large amounts of edible meat for human consumption. Their shells are also valuable for displays. Many species are under threat. They cannot run away and hide from divers and snorkelers. Two similar species in the same region means numbers for each are lower than first thought.
Conservation by Ty Buchanan
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Camel Beauty

"You're beautiful."
"I know."
 Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
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World Exclusive: Australian Company Sues Person Who Protests About Spam

Surely people against spam are in the right. Spam is a nuisance to society. Not so! A spamming company is suing an anti-spammer because it was blacklisted on a spam prevention site.

A Perth company, T3 Direct, wants AU$43,750 in damages. The "spews.org" website blacklisted the company. Websites such as spews.org distribute lists of IP addresses of spammers so end users can block them.

T3 Direct cannot sue the website because it has no actual address and it has no money. So the company is suing the "culprit" instead, namely, Joseph McNichol.

This is the first court action of its type in the world. A Web site is being set-up to fund Mr McNichol's court costs.

The whole world will be watching how this case pans out.
Internet by Ty Buchanan
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Doggone Song

"And my next next number will be..."
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Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
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Privatization Is Not the Answer for Government

Australia is going down the same road as the British by privatizing public resources. There is a major problem with this economic theory. That is, that once resource are sold and the money is used to pay off debt it cannot be sold again. When railways, electricity and water are privatized they are no longer under public control. Ordinary people are at the mercy of private enterprise who have been shown to continually increase charges beyond what citizens can bear.

This is the cold reality of what the future will be like. Politicians of the right have put faith in private enterprise for a century or more. The trickle down benefits of wealth are shown to be completely wrong. The riches of nations is still being consolidated into fewer hands. The poorer are poorer still. Despite consumer goods being widespread, very few can afford a Ferrari. Millionaires have been superseded by billionaires. And the these consumers of all things monetary still want more.

When services are outsourced to the private sector there is one significant effect - wages and conditions get worse for lower-paid workers. Casual and part-time employment becomes the norm. The Premier of Queensland is stripping the public sector of "unneeded" departments. This has personally affected me. My son was dismissed after more than ten years of loyal service when his department was closed. Now the state government has to pay enormous costs to private industry to obtain these necessary service and the debt has not been reduced.

Like the nonexistent trickle down effect it is faith not economics. Some things still need to be kept in public hands. Are we going to have toll roads everywhere with road taxes payable to private companies? This will definitely not happen. Water supply is too important to be privatised. It is best handled by councils as local monopolies. The present experiment of having separate bodies manage water will fail in the end. It will go back to councils.
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Politics by Ty Buchanan
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Fright Dog

"I've just had a fright!"
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Funny Animal Photos by Ty Buchanan
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Neither Labor Nor Liberal Understand the Needs of Education

With fewer students choosing not to maths and science, or even worse doing badly in the subjects, there is a real shortage of people who can work in big data tech. Research scientists for universities are simply not there. Business pays twice as much as universities. Basically, universities need more money. The government is doing nothing about this commercial reality.

Labor took a big chunk out of university funding with its educational reforms. The Liberal national government has promised less for both universities and schools, despite the Abbott back down. Just what the government plans to do is unknown at present. The Gonsky reforms are up in the air. Some states are not yet on board and states who have signed want the money promised by Labor.

Universities are in the wings waiting for some kind of positive action by the government. If the Gonsky funding goes ahead there will very little left for the tertiary sector. Robbing tertiary to fund schools does not make any sense. Both should have got a larger slice of the money pie. This is like taking money out of high schools and giving it to kindergartens. It is not rational. Education is a complete working body, from top to bottom. Maybe Chrisopher Pyne was right in his claim that we need a new start, but his version announced as cutting future spending in all educational sectors is not on.
Education by Ty Buchanan
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Education by Ty Buchanan
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