Commentary

My point of view

The Honey Hunt

Posted on by Matthew Green

The Honey HuntFor those of you who don’t know me, and that’s probably a lot of you considering I’m a very private guy 😉 , will probably know that I don’t share a lot of personal information on the web. Oh sure, I wrote all those wonderful iDad stories about my family, but I rarely ever post pictures of my children or myself in social media, unless it is for close friends and relatives.

I’ve been on Facebook since 2007 and have kept a lot of my private information off there. Over time however there have been a couple of facts creep in such as birthdays, job changes and educational achievements, but the majority of my comments, likes and status updates are innocuous and of no interest to anyone outside my circle of friends.

Or so I thought!

When I separated from my wife a little over two years ago I changed my relationship status to single. It was a weird, hollow feeling selecting a different line in that drop down menu and I resolved that I would not alter my relationship status again – regardless. Thankfully my partner feels the same way and we have kept our private life private from all but those we love.

In the months after changing my status I added more ‘likes’, went to a few ‘events’ my friends had organised, commented on pictures of food, tattoos, other people’s kids and holiday snaps, and checked in at a few sporting arenas and concerts. All the while, in the background, Facebook’s algorithms were quietly categorising me.

I didn’t make it easy for Facebook. I never told them whether I was interested in men or women. I never indicated a political preference. My religious status is right out of Monty Python – He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!

They know I live in Sydney, but not where.

They know I am a male, but not what I look like. My avatar is a bleeding voodoo doll with a pin sticking out of his neck.

They know where I work because my profile is linked to the company page.

But that’s it.

Over the last few months however I have noticed that the sponsored links on the right hand side of my news feed have become somewhat more targeted.

I have posted comments about Rugby League and my love of the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the past. Now I am seeing ads for Tom Waterhouse Betting who has a direct link to the National Rugby League and its broadcaster, Channel Nine.

I have commented on the ink my friends and relatives have etched onto their skin. Now I am being invited to view images of sexy tattoos from Harlow Minx.

When I posted that I had signed up for the City to Surf this year my feed was flooded with sponsored ads from Adidas, Nike and Puma.

Comments about my career have lead to offers of MBA study at various universities.

The day I taught my children to ride a push bike I was offered 70% off cycling shoes from SportPursuit as well as florescent wheel reflectors and special sunglasses.

It is an amazing marketing tool that Facebook possesses here, but the one offer I seem to receive the most is love.

At first it began with a little ‘fun at forty‘ which lead to an immediate regret at telling them my birth date 😉 Then I was offered some cheeky social love, dating profiles on Zoosk and all manner of pretty girls apparently looking for boyfriends.

After a while of not clicking through to any of these offers they became more persistent. I was being introduced to young women, mature women, some that wanted faithful men and others that wanted love from a distance. I could buy three dollar lingerie for any potential prospect, which I am sure would be itchy and uncomfortable, and get some rhinoplasty for my nose.  They even tried to convince me to join a website that purported to be able to get my ex-wife back.

Each month the promise of love was greater and greater until yesterday when I received the attached image as one single line of adverts on my Facebook feed.

No more shoes.

No more credit cards.

No more bank loans.

Perhaps I should change my relationship status after all?

An open letter to Manly coach Geoff Toovey.

Posted on by Matthew Green

Dear Sir,

Let’s examine some recent evidence.

Manly centre Steve Matai leaps into the air to clothesline George Burgess with a violent swinging forearm and only gets a one week suspension with an early guilty plea.

Manly coach Geoff Toovey spits the dummy.

Manly fullback Brett Stewart drops his elbow into Andrew Everingham’s jaw, even though Andrew wasn’t even carrying the ball, and gets away with the offence through an early guilty plea.

Manly coach Geoff Toovey has a whinge.

Manly forward Richie Fa’aoso drops Greg Inglis on his head not once, but twice, in a blatant and dangerous spear tackle and only gets an eight week suspension. Bulldogs centre Krisnan Inu got five weeks for doing it only once to Greg Inglis. Based on the precedence Richie Fa’aoso should have got at least ten.

Manly coach Geoff Toovey sooks to the cameras.

Manly forward Jason King also hits Greg Inglis with a spear tackle and drops him on his head, resulting in six stitches for the South Sydney fullback. No penalty at the time. No charges laid.

Manly coach Geoff Toovey bitches about how unfairly his team are treated.

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Anyone could easily think that this list of misdemeanours occurred throughout an entire season, but they didn’t.  They happened in one spiteful 80 minutes of Rugby League when Manly coach Geoff Toovey’s team showed up to fight and the South Sydney Rabbitohs concentrated on playing football.

In the post match conference, after Souths had run out convincing winners, Manly coach Geoff Toovey complained that the elbow to the jaw and the swinging arm did not warrant penalties. Manly coach Geoff Toovey also suggested that Greg Inglis was taking dives and falling on his head on purpose.

WTF Manly coach Geoff Toovey! Are you serious?

Manly captain Jamie Lyon claimed Greg Inglis head butted the ground on purpose so he could get a quick play-the-ball.

Yeah, right.

Manly winger Jorge Taufua thought the illegal forearm by Manly centre Steve Matai, was “f. . .ng awesome, man, I love playing outside that guy. When he pulls it off, I just lose it.”

Oh dear!

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Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans thought the illegal forearm by Manly centre Steve Matai was “a cracker of a hit.”

I wonder if he would feel the same if it was his face that Manly centre Steve Matai sought to rearrange with his right forearm.

Sensibly Manly forward Richie Fa’aoso hasn’t commented yet. Don’t forget though that this is the same guy who hit Gold Coast forward Ashley Harrison with an illegal shoulder charge earlier in the season. Ashley was left concussed and had to be stretchered off the field. Manly coach Geoff Toovey lashed out at the judiciary via every media outlet he could find that would listen to his insane rantings and managed to have the charge downgraded. Richie Fa’aoso only got a one week ban.

Manly forwards Justin Horo and Brenton Lawrence were put on report for dropping West Tigers centre Blake Ayshford on his head in round 4. Nothing happened to them.

These are not simply heavy hits from hard men in a tough game of Rugby League. They are blatant, illegal practices from a coach with no other ideas.

Greg Inglis & Adam Reynolds from South Sydney

Greg Inglis (with stitches) and Adam Reynolds from South Sydney

Well congratulations Manly coach Geoff Toovey, you have once again galvanised the entire rugby league community into a hatred for your team, something previous Manly coach Des Hasler had worked so hard to change.

Perhaps, Manly coach Geoff Toovey, you should concentrate on actually coaching your players on how to play football? Thuggery and brutal stupidity might have you riding high on the competition ladder at the moment, but as your players build up an unsavoury reputation with the judiciary, and the suspensions become longer and longer, you will slide into oblivion.

Just a thought.

P.S: Yes I am a South Sydney supporter and no, I have never played Rugby League outside of high-school. So what makes me qualified to comment? Check out the video above and see for yourself.

Images from the Daily Telegraph, Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, and Fox Sports.

Souths Turn 105 Today

Posted on by Matthew Green

On the 17 January, way back in 1908, the South Sydney District Rugby League Football Club was founded at Redfern Town Hall and Rugby League was born. Nine teams comprised the competition that year. They were, in alphabetical order;

Souths won the inaugural game of Rugby League, held at Birchgrove Oval, by defeating North Sydney 11 points to 7. South Sydney finished as minor premiers that year and went on to win the very first Grand Final by beating Eastern Suburbs 14 points to 12.

Since their auspicious beginnings Souths have gone on to win 20 premierships in total, a Rugby League record in Australia. We have also produced 64 Australian internationals, another record.

In 1925 Souths went through the entire season undefeated. They were the first Rugby League team to do so and are still one of only six teams to have ever achieved that milestone.

In 1951 Souths defeated Manly-Warringah 42 points to 14 in the Grand Final to claim their 13th title. It still remains as the highest score by any team in a Grand Final and the third highest margin. Manly gained some credibility back when they belted the Melbourne Storm 40 points to nil in 2008 😉

The miracle of ’55 saw Souths will eleven straight sudden death games in a row to claim their sixteenth premiership trophy.

The ’60s and ’70s saw four more Grand Final successes for the Rabbitohs, but times have been very lean since. In 2012 Souths finished third, which is their best performance since taking out the minor premiership in 1989.

With the largest membership base of any Sydney team, effective recruitment strategies and strong ties to the indigenous community, the Souths are poised to bring home their 21st premiership trophy.

Glory, Glory to South Sydney and happy birthday to the mighty Rabbitohs.

Birthday

Chill Pill

Posted on by Matthew Green

My ride to work the other day was an interesting anthropological study of the public transport psyche. The first thing I saw as I entered the station were the non-smoking signs. Black text, white background, image of a cigarette with a red circle around it and a line crossing through middle, clearly indicating that smoking is not permitted in this particular place. Oblivious civilians surrounded the signage sucking down copious quantities of carcinogens desperately trying to get that tobacco hit before they were forced to undergo temporary cold turkey on the train. Ignorant, obtuse or just plain rude, I couldn’t decide. Needless to say I held my breath as I passed through the deathly miasma.

The promenade itself was alive with grumbles, mumbles and chatter. A gentleman in a charcoal suit swore obscenities as he crashed through a huddle of nuns. Apparently he was very big, very important and very late for something. School students bullied and berated each other in jest, with language that would make a dock worker blush, whilst the girls they were clearly trying to impress giggled their encouragement of the lad’s shenanigans. A young woman broke up with her partner via mobile phone in a raucous rampage of vitriolic abuse and I briefly wondered what might have attracted him to her in the first place. The indigenous beggar thanked me for my donation as his dog spit-polished my shoes with its long, lapping tongue. I reflected briefly that the person in the lowest socioeconomic position seemed to be the happiest person of them all.

Approaching the stairs leading down to track twelve I noticed the notice notifying me to keep left. What an excellent idea! If we all stayed on our own side of the stairwell then there would be plenty of room for those to enter and alight the platform. As my already broken toe was squashed by a third gruff fool grunting at me to ‘get over’, I came to the conclusion that literacy was not a required skill set for the State Rail passenger.

Entering the train was an entirely new challenge. University students with burdensome backpacks unintentionally assaulted their neighbours every time they turned around. Businessmen in nondescript suits sat on their widening backsides as the elderly women left standing shot looks that could kill. Mothers used babies in prams as pink fleshy battering rams in order to secure their spot amongst the sardines, and thousands of school kids remained engrossed in their smartphones.

Too me it was a baffling brouhaha. Another train was due in two minutes anyway.

In a perverse contradiction of the manners I was taught as a child, the young people sat as the old people stood. Finally the doors closed and the carriage lurched forward. I caught an old man by the arm as he stumbled backwards.

“Thanks son, things were certainly different in my day.”

“Mine too old mate.”

Five stops later and it was time to disembark. As I left the graffiti covered transportation I was pushed twice, kicked once and almost tripped up the stairs by impatient commuters. The time was 8:45am.

Take my advice people, there is no job on the planet worthy of this much stress and aggravation. If your boss gives you a hard time for arriving five minutes late it’s probably because he or she are not happy in themselves. Perhaps she missed the shoe sale over the weekend. Perhaps he didn’t get lucky on Saturday night. Either way it’s a simple matter of smiling, apologizing and making the time up over lunch or at the end of the day.

The world needs a chill-pill.

We Buy Any Car Scam Update

Posted on by Matthew Green

Damage control.

Whilst I am happy to see as much pain as possible inflicted upon these miscreant charlatans, please remember that WBAC leased many of the properties it operated from. Although you feel you are taking your frustrations out on WBAC by damaging their premises, you are in fact hurting the livelihood of other innocent parties and perhaps putting yourself at risk of litigation.

“Not Happy” commented on my other WBAC article that windows had been smashed in the buildings on her premises. This person was the landlord of a property rented to WBAC and not affiliated with WBAC themselves. Hopefully her insurance will cover her losses, however if the liquidators have to pay for the damage it will mean less money will be available for those that have lost their cars.

Jason M posted on the Product Review site:

The liquidators Worrell’s advise:

“We understand that there are a number of people who have sold cars to the company and have not been paid. With the liquidation of the company, your claim will be a ‘unsecured debt’ in the company. Please note that regrettably you do not have the right to reclaim your car, only an entitlement to a dividend in the liquidation”

Vehicle owners arent legally able to retrieve their vehicles, although this hasnt stopped some people entering some dealerships and removing their vehicles on a tow truck. (As owners would have surrendered their keys upon “sale”.)

While by the letter of the law, this is illegal, I would assume the liquidator (who has no money due to the insolvency of the company) will be unable to commence any proceedings to get those vehicles back. While the liquidator would have the option of calling the police and reporting the vehicle stolen, it is unclear if the police would regard the matter a civil matter as well.

I’m not a lawyer so I don’t know what the legal ramifications are with repossessing your vehicle and I would certainly never advocate illegal behaviour. So if your car is sitting on a lot somewhere and you know where it is, think very very carefully about your next course of action. You may end up liable for prosecution.

Too many people have been hurt by the reckless, criminal activities of the people in charge of WBAC. Let’s not add to the list.

Positive steps you can take include:

Contact Worrells and register your claim. This is top priority for everyone owed money by WBAC.

If you are in NSW then the NSW Department of Fair Trading have said:

Customers owed money by Kar Land Pty Ltd, trading as Webuyanycars (licence number MD038189), or who have handed their car to the business and have not yet lodged a complaint should contact NSW Fair Trading on 133 220.

Consumer Affairs – Victoria, have also urged people to contact them on 1300 55 81 81. The released this statement the other day:

Kar Land Pty Ltd, which traded as WeBuyAnyCar and operated car yards in Dandenong and Altona, has gone into voluntary liquidation.

The company has appointed liquidators Rajendra Kumar Khatri and Morgan Lane of Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants.

If you have sold your car to WeBuyAnyCar and have yet to receive payment, contact the liquidator immediately on 07 3225 4300 to advise that you are a creditor of the company.

You can also consider making a claim on the Motor Car Trader Guarantee Fund. Customers who have not been paid for their cars are urged to contact Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 55 81 81.

For more information on the fund, including who is eligible to claim and what claims are covered, view our Compensation claims – motor cars section.

In a statement, the liquidator has advised that:

  • your claim will be an ‘unsecured debt’ in the company
  • customers do not have the right to reclaim their car, only an entitlement to a dividend in the liquidation
  • creditors should note that WeBuyAnyCar has ceased trading and are advised not to deal with the company.

We have been contacted by more than 30 people regarding this company, and have issued a public warning to consumers not to trade with them. WeBuyAnyCar’s business model is based on obtaining cars from private customers but not paying for them until after the cars have been sold.

In many cases, customers have not been paid for their cars until many weeks afterwards – and sometimes not at all – despite being told they would be paid within 10 days of WeBuyAnyCar taking possession of the vehicle.

The company also operates in New South Wales and Queensland. Consumer Affairs Victoria is working closely with these jurisdictions.

The Creditor Watch website has indicated that there is a creditors meeting to be held on the 16th August (click the button that says View Document Images) . The Insolvency Appointments website confirms the meeting. If you are a creditor, you may want to attend.

The Intellectual Property register has listed several website addresses (trademarks) owned by Kar Land. Trademarkify has images of the proposed logos. Check it out and be aware that they may try and pop up as a ‘different’ business.

Libby Beaumont provided the following details on the Stuff Review website regarding a potential class action she was preparing against WBAC.

Libby Beaumont July 18, 2012 at 8:45 pm
I am in contact with many other people writing blogs and information on the internet about WBAC, I have also complained to ACCC and never had returned emails or phone calls from all at WBAC, if you would be happy to provide me with your details, I plan to colate them as I have a similar experience to you. If you would like to join forces and launch a Civil Class Action claim on webuyanycar.com.au I would be happy to hear from you directly on 0414585607 or willandlibby@netspeed.com.au. Regards- Libby Beaumont

I corresponded with Libby over the weekend and she would be very happy to hear from you.

Good luck everyone. I truly hope we see a happy ending in all this.