John Dixon

Former General Secretary of NSW Teachers Federation - Renowned cook,connoisseur of wine and drinker of coffee.

[John Dixon @dixonfed]

@iamemilymayo Absolutely Your Dad is correct

[Sally McManus @sallymcmanus]

Lastest Essential poll. Union members had the highest Yes vote. Thank you to all the ⁦@unionsaustralia⁩ members who campaigned

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: In a devastating speech, iconic actor Robert De Niro rips Donald Trump to shreds, declaring that Trump is “not a bad man,” but “an evil one” who is a “wanna be tough guy” and has “no morals or ethics.”

But Robert De Niro didn’t stop there…

De Niro continued:

“Trump has no sense of right or wrong. No regard for anyone but himself — not the people he was supposed to lead and protect, not the people he does business with, not the people who follow him, blindly and loyally, not even the people who consider themselves his “friends.” He has contempt for all of them.

The repercussions of his turbulent presidency divided America and rattled New York City beyond imagination.  Remember how we were jolted by crisis in early 2020, as a virus swept the world.

We lived with Donald Trump��s bombastic behavior every day on the national stage, and we suffered as we saw our neighbors piling up in body bags.

The man who was supposed to protect this country put it in peril, because of his recklessness and impulsiveness. It was like an abusive father ruling the family by fear and violent behavior.  That was the consequence of New York’s warning getting ignored. Next time, we know it will be worse.

Make no mistake: the twice-impeached, 4-time indicted Donald Trump is still a fool. But we can’t let our fellow Americans write him off like one. Evil thrives in the shadow of dismissive mockery, which is why we must take the danger of Donald Trump very seriously.

So, today I issue another warning.

From this place where Abraham Lincoln spoke — right here in the beating heart of New York — to the rest of America:

This is our last chance.

Democracy won’t survive the return of a wannabe dictator.

And it won’t overcome evil if we are divided.

So what do we do about it?  We have to take today into tomorrow – take it outside these walls.   We have to reach out to the half of our country who have ignored the hazards of Trump and, for whatever reason, support elevating him back into the White House.  They’re not stupid, and we must not condemn them for making a stupid choice.  Our future doesn’t just depend on us. It depends on them.

Let’s reach out to Trump’s followers with respect.  Let’s not talk about “democracy.” 

“Democracy” may be our holy grail, but to others it is just a word, a concept, and in their embrace of Trump, they’ve already turned their backs on it.  Let’s talk about right and wrong.  Let’s talk about humanity.  Let’s talk about kindness.  Security for our world.  Safety for our families.  Decency.  Let’s welcome them back.  We won’t get them all, but we can get enough to end the nightmare of Trump.”

Well said, Robert De Niro!

Please retweet and ❤️ to thank Robert De Niro for calling out Donald Trump — and consider joining the growing exodus to Tribel, a woke new Twitter competitor that banned Trump for life and is exploding in popularity because Elon Musk banned Tribel’s Twitter account — but he forgot to ban this link to download the new Tribel app: https://t.co/HnJzSKjCwX

[Patrick McGorry @PatMcGorry]

The Irish and Irish Australia understand better than most the need for the dispossessed to have a voice. So it is inevitable that we support our indigenous brothers and sisters at https://t.co/CKn09FJX3Y "A new path for healing, truth, justice and reconciliation" @CelticClubMelb

[Marc Fennell @MarcFennell]

I shouldn’t find this as amusing as I do.

[Teachers Federation @TeachersFed]

A must read. Thank you for your continued support @JaneCaro Premier Minns must #HonourTheDeal

[🌏 Zali Steggall MP @zalisteggall]

The hypocrisy of @sussanley is breathtaking. She has been in govt for years & didn’t do anything about constitutional recognition. When pressed for details on any policy or whose advice she relies on, she just skips to Dutton’s next #fearandsmear. No substance. #insiders

[Victorian Trades Hall Council @VicUnions]

This is what it's all about. #Yes23

[Penny Allman-Payne @senatorpennyqld]

"It is a lie to say private schools take pressure off the public system. In fact, it is the opposite. Private schools take money out of public classrooms. They entrench inequality. They create and maintain privilege."

Spot on editorial from the @SatPaper.
https://t.co/8QWwboJH4w

[Rob Oakeshott @RobOakeshott1]

2 choices this referendum;

1. (vote No) LNP want a multitude of regional+local Voice groups, with no central, constitutionally enshrined powers; or

2. (vote Yes) a clear+logical independent body reporting to Parliament, developed by Elders.

Vote Yes,
'cause No is a Mess.

[Jason Clare MP @JasonClareMP]

Every non-government school in Australia is either funded at the level David Gonski recommended, is above it, or is on track to be there by the end of the decade. But no public school is, apart from here in the ACT.

That gap needs to close.

[PRGuy @PRGuy17]

YES unites us. NO divides us. That's why I'm voting YES 😎 #auspol

[𝐌𝐀𝐗 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐑 @CJHarvey56]

There is no better example of neoliberalism than government school funding. Howard started the rot, Gonski was supposed to fix the problem yet it is now worse than ever. Why does the Fed Gov pour billions into elite private schools and underfund the public system. Why @AlboMP ?

[John Dixon @dixonfed]

@strom_m One of your better ideas comrade. Make it a raffle with cash tickets and we can fund public schools and hospitals

[Damien Cahill @DamienCahill8]

More evidence of the parasitical behaviour of large private consultancies within higher education - and more evidence of the need for serious governance reform of the sector. @NTEUnion https://t.co/yHwtygKG6k via @ABCaustralia

[Judy K King @JudyRGH]

How many more decades then ? This obscenity has been going on for over 60 years now. Both sides of politics are to blame. Neither the ALP nor the coalition have the moral fibre or the economic sense to stop this madness, it is just getting worse.

[CALL TO ACTIVISM @CalltoActivism]

Country singer Dolly Parton wrote the songs "I Will Always Love You" and "Jolene" on the same night.
When the first song was at the top of the charts in 1974, Elvis wanted to record his own version of the song. Dolly was interested until Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' manager, said that it was standard procedure that when the king of rock and roll covered a song - half of the rights to that song would go to him in the future.

She refused it.

"I said, 'I'm really, really sorry' and cried all night. It was terrible for me, on the one hand, it's Elvis. People told me: "You are crazy." It's Elvis Presley...' but I just couldn't do it. Something told me in my heart not to do it and I didn't. I know he would rock with that song. But I couldn't. And then Whitney Houston came along with her version and I made enough money from the rights to buy Dollywood."

She grew up in severe poverty and no one famous has done more for the education of the poor than her.

In 1990, the percentage of students who did not graduate from high school in her hometown was over 30%. She introduced the "Buddy Program", where all high school graduates received a nice sum when they graduated. It wasn't just a waste of money, she personally came and explained the concept to them - everyone should find a buddy, and whoever doesn't succeed she will find one for them. Everyone had to sign that they will graduate and do everything in their power to ensure that their buddy also graduates. She taught young people about friendship and helping.

The number of school dropouts dropped to below 6% and has remained so until today.

When 900 families lost their homes in the 2016 fires, she paid each family $1,000 for the next five months. When she came to the bank to finish the paperwork, she gave each family another $5,000 to find. A total of nine million dollars.

Also, her work - Imagination Library from 1995, was inspired by her realization that young people in rural areas and poor families already fall behind when they start school and that this prevents them from pursuing higher education. The goal of her program was for every child in her district to receive one book, once a month, from birth to school, completely free of charge, without any conditions. It started as an initiative in her hometown and has spread to a huge number of countries around the world.

By 2018, over 100 million books were distributed in this way.

She is also known for her witty statements, at the beginning of her career she said:

“I'm not offended by jokes about stupid blondes because I know I'm not stupid... and I'm not really blonde either.”

[Alison Hill @AlisonTracie]

Hi @Ticketek_AU. adding my voice to those calling for an update on ticket availability. There are lots of claims about only single tickets left & exhausted allocations. After more than 3hrs waiting in the #ticketek lounge it would be good to have accurate updates from you pls.