All Activity

It would be good if we could turn canola into urea as well. That way we could grow canola to make urea and diesel to grow canola.

We coulld stop selling canola overseas and turn it into bio-diesel.

One of the reasons for granting bail was that it is going to takwe a very long time to bring these charges before a court. There is no likelihood that he will commit further offences whilst free on bail, so community safety is not endangered. The only condition that I see as not being useful is the reporting three times per week to police. That is supposed to restrict his movement from the local area of his residence. As one who was able to set bail conditions, I always felt that this was an onerous condition. Once a week is sufficient if the condition is required.

Shit, l use to live in Altona through some of that period. But anyway, so we have had fires before, well that's sorta good news then that's probably all this one is.

Ben Roberts-Smith has been granted bail by Local Court Judge Greg Grogin in Sydney after being charged with five counts of war crime murder. The 47-year-old former SAS corporal was released from Silverwater Correctional Complex on Friday, April 17, 2026, following a hearing where the court acknowledged the exceptional circumstances of the case, noting that the trial could take years to resolve. Bail conditions imposed on Roberts-Smith include: Forfeiting his passport and reporting to police three times a week. Granting authorities access to his electronic devices. A strict travel restriction preventing him from leaving Queensland except for legal or medical reasons. A $250,000 bond (surety) provided by his father, former judge Len Roberts-Smith, which would be forfeited if conditions are breached. The judge ruled that these stringent conditions would mitigate risks regarding flight or witness interference, despite opposition from Crown prosecutors who argued the charges were gravely serious and that there was evidence suggesting Roberts-Smith had attempted to move overseas. While Roberts-Smith denies the allegations, the criminal case follows a 2023 defamation trial where a judge found the accusations of murder were substantially true.

When a gold mine closed once, I sat with the manager in the wet mess. He said tonight the two of us are going to cover this table top with empty cans. It was one of those round steel three legged tables. I think we came close. It was the Porphyry mine at Edjudina.

Well the Iran war seems to have gone quiet. Has the news cycle got this short? Or has Iran actually been bombed back into the stone age? Maybe donold has finally shredded the last of the Epstein files?

It's time to bring back the horse drawn tourist bus!

According to the ABC, Europe has a Big Jet fuel shortage looming. Nev

We've Got Murders to solve, and it was like that when I got Here Boss, really. Nev

I remember a few years ago the Americans were trialling alternative jet fuels. From memory it was coal gasified and then they would convert that gas to jet fuel. They successfully test ran a B-52 running four of it's eight engines on the fuel. The problem at the time was they said oil had to hit $80/barrel to gain any saving from the alternate fuel. At the time it was a fair bit below that.

They are already working on that. Probably economically feasible when the pump price hits $6/ltr. Or so.

Had an interesting morning this morning. I was at a funeral recently and bumped into an old mate I hadn't seen for many years. In the time since I last saw him, he's retired and has been making acoustic guitars for a hobby. Today I went around and he showed me a few of the guitars and where he makes them in his shed. He's a carpenter/builder by trade so already had quite a lot of the tools and some of the required woodworking skills. They're nice guitars, mostly all dreadnaughts, and all Australian timbers. He uses a lot of silky oak on the bodies and grey gum for necks and other parts. I seem to remember the Australian brand Maton using Australian timbers.

I'd better read back through the thread and see where it went from the Hungarian prime Minister to pubs and beer.

I calculate that at a bit over thirteen and a half stubbies or cans. That's enough to put a grin on anyone's face. The most I ever consumed in one session was twenty cans of full strength VB (Very Bad) one night at the Sand Bar at Kingfisher Bay. It's funny how it affects different people. The mate I was with had the same amount and on the night he played up like a second hand lawnmower, the full bit, thrown out by the bouncers and all that. I was well behaved on the night and was still able to drive back to the old Z Force camp where we camped the night. The next morning he got up bright as a button and I was the sickest I've ever been. That was in the mid 90's and was the last time I ever drank full strength beer. Maybe craft beer would have been a better life choice.

We've got plenty of gas and existing gas pipelines going to Gladstone, but oil might have some challenges. Small marginal fields at the moment. Jackson is done and dusted, Moonie not what it used to be and Ballera is gas. Bits of oil here and there, but making it economically feasable is the big issue.

We still need the crude to refine, but eventually we will have to stop Burning this stuff. Nev

The premier announced today that the government is in talks with some private companies regarding building a new fuel refinery, most likely in the Gladstone area. A push toward fuel sovereignty is the plan.

Blessed Be the Peacemakers for they shall see the Kingdom. Thou Shall NOT kill. In God we trust, Provided He keeps his Place and doesn't interfere with da King Making Money for Himself and his Henchmen.. The POPE should realise who his BOSS is. Nev

War is MADNESS. Peace is Sense. Nev

Oil Refinery Fires in Australia 2026 – Geelong Oil Refinery (Viva Energy) Large fire with explosions; burned ~13 hours; no injuries. 2018 – Kwinana Oil Refinery (BP) Fire in processing unit; contained; no major injuries. 2004 – Kwinana Oil Refinery (BP) Fire and explosion during maintenance; several injuries. 1994 – Clyde Refinery (Shell) Processing unit fire; limited injuries. 1984 – Port Stanvac Refinery (ExxonMobil) Operational fire; contained. 1970s–2010s – Altona Refinery (ExxonMobil) Multiple minor fires; no major catastrophic event.

Refineries are Just the Place for Fires. Why are we trying to conjure up a conspiracy?Nev

Spot prices being zero or even negative are not just a thing since renewables. Negative spot prices are not new and actually occurred regularly before the rise of renewables. While renewables are now the primary driver of their frequency, the core cause has always been system inflexibility—the inability of certain power plants to shut down when demand is low. www.agora-energiewende.org +2 Why Negative Prices Occurred Before Renewables Historically, negative prices typically happened at night when demand was at its lowest. Coal Plant Inflexibility: Large coal-fired power stations have a "minimum generation" level they must maintain to keep their turbines spinning. Cost of Restarting: It is often cheaper for a coal plant to pay to stay online (selling at a negative price) than to undergo the slow and expensive process of shutting down and restarting a boiler. Technical Necessity: Some "must-run" units are required to stay online to provide grid stability or heat for local networks, forcing them to bid negatively during low-demand periods just to guarantee they aren't turned off. Australian Energy Council +4