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Wyatt Roy is our local Federal Representative. I have met him a number of times, attended meetings with him, and photographed him as well.

Here is the email he sent recently with regard to Australia's National Debt. Sobering stuff.

Last night in Parliament I spoke about the simple differences between a Coalition economy and a Labor economy.

Here's a quick snapshot:

• Under the Coalition Government there was a 20% increase in real wages, a 100% increase in net wealth for each Australian and more than 2 million new jobs.
• Under this Labor government our net debt has increased to $145 billion, with an interest bill of $22 million a day.
• Under the Coalition government net debt as a percentage of GDP was 3.8% in the black, under this Labor government we are 9.6% in the red. 
• Under the Coalition government net government interest on payments was a little over $1 billion in earnings.  Today under Labor, it is $6 ½ billion in payments. 
• Under the Coalition government our unemployment rate was 4.5%, today under this Labor government it is 5.1%. 

The Coalition has a clear vision for Australia’s future – a way to get Australia back on track.  Should the Coalition be re-elected we will once again see a government that will scrap unnecessary taxes, cut wasteful spending and reduce the tax burden on business.  We will see higher productivity, job growth, sustainable development and a modern enterprise economy that eradicates barriers to opportunity and engagement.

We have done it before and we can, and must, do it again.  Read more about the Coalition’s plan to get Australia get back on track here, or watch my speech below.

Here is a link to his speech on you tube.

Here are some interesting links and reviews from this weeks reading and research.

Far Cry 3 preview – reviewed by Fidget from fragdolls – I loved Far Cry 1 and 2 – cant wait for 3.

Assassin’s Creed 3 preview – reviewed by Cryptik from fragdolls – I have played and loved every Assassins Creed game so far – cant wait for this one!

Windows 8 and Metro Development – great explanation of Metro for Windows 8 by Damana.

Skydrive has now launched apps for Windows and Mac. We have tested the Windows one extensively and are now implementing it as a cloud backup strategy for small home users.

We love Photosynth. I have yet to install and play with the new Photosynth app on a Windows phone – but will try it later and let you know how it goes. There is also a Photosynth iPhone app available

Australia’s Labor government is about to start stealing money off us with a Carbon Tax – explained away by insisting that global warming is caused by human emitted CO2. The video here shows the fallacy of this “science”.

Social Media Links

Social Media use is on the rise on a massive way. Companies and businesses are still learning if and how to get involved. Here are a number of great articles.

Dion Hinchcliffe writes an excellent article titled Should companies drive their traffic to Facebook?

I wish this social media course run by Laurel Papworth was coming to Brisbane. Sydney people go and learn!

26 Tips for Integrating Social Media Activities – lots of good info here. Worth a read.

5 Reasons you should measure Social Media Return on Investment

5 Ways to tell if Pinterest is right for your business. We have started using Pinterest; watch for our boards to grow and expand as we learn more about this cool new tool.

Facebook Adds Admin Roles – a good explanation of the role settings and use.

5 Simple Metrics to Track Your Social Media Efforts

We hear a lot about work life balance these days. ITs a big problem for a lot of people and its something i definitely struggle with also.

One of the main reasons i struggle with it is because my life is my work. I am passionate and excited about what i do – well most of it anyway, and as such my every waking moment and some of my sleeping ones are planning and thinking about work.

But what is my work? For me it includes web development, photography, sports coaching and software development (those dreams are nightmares usually). I have fun doing all those things, I love the interaction with clients customers and staff and I am passionate about my art.

My relax and off times are often found with a camera in hand having fun with my family. We go the beach, the park, fly a kite and i have two motives, one is to go and hang our with the girls and have fun and the other is to take some photos. I explore new ideas, try new techniques and still manage to interact with the girls.

My Spiritual side – my Christian life – is completely bound up in who I am and what I do. I am a member of the High Calling Website because i completely believe that my work is as much a part of my spiritual being as anything else. They are featuring a fair number of my photos there in their articles which is fantastic.

My sports and exercise are more than ever involved with my family now. I used to play sports that did not involve the family such as AFL football and Soccer and squash. three years ago i made a decision to quit football, not because i wasn’t excited about playing anymore but because i wanted to put that time into sports and exercise pursuits with my family. Now I run, cycle and exercise with all my family on a regular basis. I still do more extreme riding than the family is up to both on the road and mountain bike.

So – I reject this common expression of balance as an impossibility. No ones lives are segmented like that.

Instead I prefer an overlapping holistic view that to some extent allows separation but also shows the overlapping nature of life’s components.

How do you manage balance in your life? Do you have techniques or ideas that work for you? Comment below or on Facebook.

Here are some links from The High Calling about balance.

Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Exist

Keeping Your Life Balance

I am finally going to weigh into this public debate that has turned into a farce.

Housekeeping:

Some of what I am going to say is factual and other is opinion - I will clearly define each. Comments will be moderated - if you shoot the messenger and not the message, if you cant elucidate your thought clearly without turning to vitriolic or childish abuse then i will moderate / delete your comments. However if you care to comment on either side of the debate clearly and succinctly then I will allow you comment with no editing.

(Facts)

First let me describe the situation for clarity.

A Rip and Roll advert appeared in bus shelters and billboards. It shows a man kissing another man on the neck while embracing him from behind while holding a condom.

The advert is clearly not G-rated, and contains messages that are clearly not suitable for children (regardless of your sexual persuasions).

There was an immediate request to the advertising company by Senate candidate Wendy Francis and this resulted in the ads being removed. A counter response by gay activist groups had them reinstated and a media storm resulted. Refer: The Drum