Series 11 Episode 29

Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, many of us were working from home. For some that left a little to be desired, but for others it was more than just a nice change.

I can speak from personal experience pre-pandemic working from home. It’s great to literally roll out of bed and get to work. Not have to wear a tie… I never did that anyway. But while it was my preferred way to work, there was a downside. I found myself in a situation where I had to leave home to get away from work. Often I would drop in to work’s office to get away from the job which seems really weird. But it worked for me.

Just recently the Australian Taxation Office announced some changes to what Aussies can claim should they find themselves working from home.

The fixed rate in which employees are able to claim to cover general working from home has increased from 52 to 67 cents per hour. The change also means you no longer need a dedicated home office to claim.

Aussies are able to claim a number of work related expenses from their taxable income. They can be claimed precisely by saving receipts to claim at tax time, or the fixed rate of 67 cents per hour.

According to the tax department, the hourly increase reflects the costs of things like energy, phone and internet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co27LcTBLov/

https://www.ato.gov.au/Media-centre/Media-releases/ATO-announces-changes-to-working-from-home-deductions/

https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Income-and-deductions/Deductions-you-can-claim/Working-from-home-expenses/?=Redirected_URL

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

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Series 11 Episode 28

Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

Going about my afternoon recording an upcoming podcast episode and my mobile phone rings. It’s an Australian mobile number, I don’t know it but answer it all the same.

It’s a recorded message purportedly from Visa security advising of two sizeable charges on my bank account. Total BS, but I open up the audio recording software and start rolling on my own scam… wasting the scammers time. Sadly I could only keep it going for about five minutes, but it makes for interesting listening.

This happened a year or so ago, also while I was recording a podcast episode and I did an episode about an attempted Twitter scammer.

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/S4dR2xuXDxb

Sorry but I can’t find the episode that had the scam caller pretending to be from Amazon, but it’s out there… like the truth!

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

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Series 11 Episode 27

Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

As you clock on at work today, do you feel like you could have done with an extra day off? In the UK over the past six months a test case group of businesses were offering their employees just that - a four day working week.

The trial has come to an end and an encouraging number of businesses in England plan on continuing with a four day work week after evaluation of the impact to productivity and the wellbeing of employees.

Actually the descriptor, “encouraging” is not even close. More than 90 percent of the British businesses that “went for four”, opted to stick with it.

Details were recently released on The Daily Aus’ Instagram feed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co9BDwWLI1k/

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Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

Just a quick one today to look into a new law that was introduced in Australia this week, all in a bid to tighten up the risks of cyber attacks in the future.

I worry that this is more of a bandage for the problem with businesses left to do the right thing (which they should), but I can’t imagine a fine, large or small would be of any comfort to those affected by a data breach such as the Medibank and Optus ones last year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co8ZUYYBWe3/

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

https://coryoconnor.com/pod

SERIES:EPISODE - 11:26

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Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

Earlier today I had my third COVID-19 booster shot bringing into total five needles for this coronavirus pandemic… well so far at least.

I was thinking this shot that became available on Monday this week (20th February 2023) was the latest one designed to address the omicron variant. But on Wednesday I read that Pfizer was releasing an updated version on March 6.

Still I weighed up the pro’s and con’s and decided to go ahead with the shot today all the same.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2023-02-22/new-pfizer-bivalent-covid-vaccine-available-march/101999092

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

https://coryoconnor.com/pod

SERIES:EPISODE - 11:25

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Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

Meta has no doubt been watching and assessing the paid for Twitter blue badge affair has gone down and decided to cash in on it themselves by launching their own ‘Meta Verified’ subscription service this week to select users on Facebook and Instagram in Australia and New Zealand.

Please don’t get too excited, wait until you hear how much Meta wants to get from you each month.

To be verified you need a government ID. Most likely only drivers licenses and passports will be acceptable, at least in the beginning. Rather discriminatory to those of us who don’t drive, or have a valid passport.

Meta automaton Mark Zuckerberg says the Meta Verified service is designed to increase authenticity and security. Yeah sure it is Mark.

The fee (and I am getting to it) includes extra protection against impersonation and direct access to customer support. As holder of social media platforms, you’d think communication with those behind the platforms should be included for anyone using it.

The monthly subscription is more if you purchase on your iOS or Android device. Still it’s $19.99 Australian a month on the web, or $24.99 a month via the app. $23.99 New Zealand a month on the web and a whopping $29.99 New Zealand a month in app.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-20/instagram-and-facebook-test-monthly-subscription-service/101997170?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=mail&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

https://about.fb.com/news/2023/02/testing-meta-verified-to-help-creators/

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

https://coryoconnor.com/pod

SERIES:EPISODE - 11:24

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Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

It was likely never more apparent than during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals, doctors and particularly nurses were indispensable as Aussies were getting sick and needed help during a period most of us had never experienced in our lives.

Hospital workers and medical professionals were the glue that kept things together (as best they could with the resources available)… but at what cost?

Well that cost is expected to hit hard in the next few years according to a survey.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CotMM64PqkP/

https://www.nswnma.asn.au/overhauls-needed-to-slow-nurse-and-midwife-exodus/

https://www.health.gov.au/topics/nurses-and-midwives/in-australia

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

https://coryoconnor.com/pod

SERIES:EPISODE - 11:23

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Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

Question… what has the possibility of being able to last longer than us? Maybe that’s why those seeking ridiculously extreme beauty seem so… plastic.

Yes, plastic will most likely outlive us all.

While some plastics are made to recycle, according to Forge Waste and Recycling in Leeds in the UK, it can take between 20 and 500 years for plastic to decompose, but this is dependent on things like what the plastic is made of and exposure to sunlight.

A study by the Minderoo Foundation which is philanthropically funded by Australian mining billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and his wife, Nicola… found more than 130 million metric tonnes of plastic waste worldwide as of 2021. A six million metric tonne increase since 2019, but most disturbingly, the most plastic waste ever recorded.

The use of fossil fuels to make plastic means it also has a large carbon footprint. The report also named the largest contributors to plastic generation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CoYgGWTvjWx/

https://www.forgerecycling.co.uk/blog/how-long-it-takes-everyday-items-to-decompose/

https://www.minderoo.org/

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

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SERIES:EPISODE - 11:22

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Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

Just in case you were wondering, it’s ELON! not Elon, certainly not elon.

As there aren’t that many Elon’s in the world, I’m sure you know which entitled ego engorged prat I’m talking about. Elon Musk.

Now you might be wondering what’s the strange little man been up to. Well he had a hissy fit recently (quite reminiscent of Trump’s in the day). Musk didn’t like the fact that US President Joe Biden was getting so much attention on Twitter, the platform he bought late last year and is proceeding to destroy the social media giant from the inside.

Such is Musk’s clearly fragile yet engorged ego, that he demanded action from his minions to make sure literally everyone on Twitter was seeing his tweets.

You might be thinking, but Cory, that’s Elon Musk in a nut shell… Hmmm nut being the operative word. But wait, the real Elon Musk was still yet to flash his true colours.

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/elon-musk-twitter-tweets-timeline-rcna71035

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

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SERIES:EPISODE - 11:21

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Hi and welcome, this is Cory…

I could list all the awful things that have been going on in our world over the past three or four years, but if I’m honest, it sometimes seems like it’d be easier to list the good.

We really shouldn’t look at the world as “half empty”. But at the same time, we shouldn’t ignore the big things that affect us, our family, our friends, or community, our world.

The Global H5N1 Bird Flu has become that bad in some countries, they’re now considering vaccination. I’m sure tinfoil hat wearing whackos will think this means Bill Gates will be putting tracking devices in their chicken nuggets. Thankfully the people whose opinions are far more important, scientists and health professionals are not scoffing at the thoughts of those who are ‘grey matter challenged’.

The death toll is staggering and it’s not confined to poultry.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2023-02-17/bird-flu-h5n1-global-pandemic-poultry-vaccination-wild-animals/101972756?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=mail&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2022.2237#.Y-m2XJt6afA.twitter

https://cie-deakin.com/marcel-klaassen/

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The CORY feed. A Podcast from Cory O’Connor - on Anchor, Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify and more. Find clickable links and contact information for the show at the following website.

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SERIES:EPISODE - 11:20

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