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In the continued saga of everything Trump touches turns to shit, his plan to paint the Lincoln reflecting pool a more patriotic shade of blue has worked about as well as his Operation Epic Fury (maybe should be renamed "Epic Fuckup"). When they put the water back in, algae turned it green. Then when they used chemicals to kill the algae (no doubt under a lot of pressure from the Trump administration), it peeled up the $14m blue paint. Of course the retard-in-chief is blaming "vandalism" as the cause, nothing to do with giving a $14m project to someone who painted a mate's pool once. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/20/trump-reflecting-pool-renovation-vandalism

I believe the other troops.

I was watching a video of a bloke touring the Simpson Desert, and he came across a similar sign advising the earliest drill hole in the Simpson, Beachcomber #1. Someone had a sense of humour. The sign had no name on it, so one has to presume the name on the Willowie No 1 sign, is the welders name. The welded letters accuracy and eveness is something to be proud of, and to put your name to, because I've never been able to weld letters and numbers that straight!

But their Gold painted Aging and flabby Leader Plays footsies with, and helps, Putin and gets away with it??. Please Explain!!. Yeah. If you have Minimum Wages and Medical assistance you are a Hopeless Socialist. They have the Most Gun Soaked Country in the World . Nev

It must have been replaced lately. There's no bullet holes in it.. Nev

I agree, but the thing is that to some people not automatically believing he is innocent equates to "not supporting the troops" My point is that BRS is not the only soldier in this story. Those who beleive BRS is innocent surely must believe that the 20 soldiers who brought this to light must be lying. It will be tested in court.

I don't support the one nor the twenty. The evidence should be gathered, heard and tested in the appropriate court, with any appeals to the higher court, after which I would accept judgement. I am generally against the court of public opinion in these types of matters

Peter, I don't know him. I'd have to check to see who's name goes on those abandoment markers. I'm fairly sure the information on them is a legal requirement by the various state's petroleum regulations. It could be a simple tradition of the welder adding his name to it, or more likely it's the name of an authorised person attesting to the closure of the well. That possibly could be someone from the drilling company OD&E which was based in Toowoomba, or someone from Innamincka Petroleum, or if they used a contractor to seal the well, someone from that company. Schlumberger and Halliburton were the main well services contractors out there.

Willie you don’t know who M Bell was on that name plate do you? I had a schoolmate of that name who worked out that way.

....run by a consistent string of socialist Govts, who support unions and fair wages! Horror! I've even heard those Labor Govts called "Commy Govts" by Americans!

I once applied for a tech job @ Exmouth. The US had handed over ops to Aust ADF, whe handed it over to Contractors. The work was with VLF submarine comms, HF radio, and Sat. I guarantee that no Aust personnel were privy to any comms content. Back when US set up Pine Gap, everything came in on big unmarked grey jets, usually at night. As far as US is concerned, Australia is an untrusted foreign country.

Er.. ahhh.. ahem... yes... yes... i suppose it was

Jerry, I'm assuming that's an intentional pun and not a typo.

When the Americans built the US Naval Communication Station, North West Cape, at Exmouth, W.A. between 1963 and 1967, everything to build the base, was shipped in from the U.S. When I say everything, I mean everything. The Americans shipped in their own prefab housing, their own power generation, and they even built their own baseball fields and a bowling alley, so the troops would feel right at home, and not in a hostile and foreign environment, like Australia. 😄 Even every fitting in the buildings, right down to hinges and fasteners, was imported from the U.S. In addition, even though LHD cars were banned on Australian roads, the Americans were allowed to import as many LHD vehicles as they wanted, so they wouldn't feel like they were in a foreign land, where the natives drove on the wrong side of the road. Unfortunately, the Americans couldn't change the local road rules, or the side of the road they drove on, so they had to put up with driving their LHD vehicles on the wrong side of the road, at all times. Fortunately, Australia insisted the town had to be on 240V AC power, which must have caused a lot of angst amongst the Americans used to 110V AC power. When the land for the base was leased to the Americans by a Liberal right-wing Govt ("all the way with LBJ!"), it was for peppercorn rental. Only when a Labor Govt was elected in Australia in 1972, was the base operation and rental costs put under scrutiny. Slowly but surely, Australian Naval personnel were allowed to operate in conjunction with the Americans at Exmouth. But all the Australian Navy personnel, including their leaders, were banned from access to the U.S. Naval Communications Cipher Room for many years. Ever so slowly, the Americans gradually relented and handed more and more operational power over to the Australian military, for the base operations. It was eventually turned into an Australian Naval Communication station by 1999, with an Australian Naval Commander initially taking control of the base in 1991. The Americans finally withdrew in 1993, and they sold off the base housing - fairly cheaply, it seemed to many keen buyers. Then those house buyers found that the American houses built there, couldn't be repaired using standard Australian building materials. Doorways were a U.S. standard, 3' 0" wide, to accommodate big Americans (as compared to the Australian standard of 2' 8" or 815mm). Fittings and plumbing all had to be changed if repairs were needed. Those houses ended up not being such a bargain after all. Numbers of the LHD cars from the base stayed here after the local authorities relented, and allowed LHD vehicles to be imported and driven on Australian roads. I would guess the Americans got good money for their used Yank Tanks, due to high local demand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Communication_Station_Harold_E._Holt

In my working life I drove just about every road in Qld. Numerous times. My territory was from Grafton, west to Birdsville, up to Threeways, across to Torres Strait. As you know, working doesn't really let one see the country properly. So since retirement I've been visiting places that I promised myself to come back to, to see properly. Thanks for the tip.

Have a good trip Pete, a good time of year to be heading out there. It's been over 14 years since I retired from working in the back country and haven't been there since. If I got my vehicle up to scratch I'd like to do another trip out there as I've never been there on a tourist basis, always working. From the east coast of S.E. Queensland it's bitumen all the way to Innamincka now. Last time I was out there the bitumen had extended from Jackson to past Ballera, but fell short of the border. It had been a good season with a good body of Mitchell grass as far as the eye could see. In that same batch of photos, I fund this one of an abandoned well name plate at that field where we worked for a short time. Top line is Willowie No.1, the well name - ie: first well in the Willowie field. Second line, the well owner, Innamincka Petroleum. Third line the drilling contractor - Oil Drilling and Exploration Rig 30. Fourth line, the date drilling commenced. Spud is short for spudded, the term for when the bit first bites into the ground. Fifth line, the date it was plugged and abandoned. Last line, the total depth reached.

Hookers will have to find new clients 😉 In the same vain, Chump has probably cost the US arms manufacturers and other military suppliers many more billions. Most of the big spending ex property leases will be on US companies.. Even construction of their bases, etc, will likely be US suppliers vetted by the military (I am guessing). I know someone who worked at RAF Lakenheath, and and I think it was RAAF Tindal (can't remember). He worked for an American company, ironically at the time, supplying the ADF and MoD, and not the USDF. At Lakenheath, there is a permanent USAF facility separated and at I think it was Tindal, there was a temporary command centre set up of the USAF. On both occasions, as a friendly American he went to introduce himself to the yanks at each base (probably trying to sell them something) and he was met with a very terse response equivalent to eff off. When he spoke to the UK/Aus personnel, on both occasions he was told they operate entirely separately and barely a word is spoken between them; a lot lived on the base and they had US supplies of their favourite home treats shipped in. Certainly, his antics will have his allies relying less on US manufacturers and after sales provisions as a result. For example, Spain and Portugal have cancelled or stop going ahead with procurement of the F35s, Europe is looking at shifting much of their military supply from US to their own suppliers; the UK is accelerating its Tempest fighter development; I don't think anyone in Europe is even looking at US drone manufacturers at the moment. If Chump unilaterally withdraws troops because of his childish antics, you can bet the long term damage to the US will be much more than a few landlords, supermarkets, and hookers. Yeah, there would be stuff that won't make sense to buy anything other than locally - normal food, civvie clothes, etc. And yeah, the sudden withdrawal of a large number of troops from the country will make a dent, but they rarely have a vast number at a single location, so the loss is probably minimal in the grand scheme of things, except where business are set up solely or mainly to service a local posting.

That's what makes a walloper's job less Mundane (and more stressful) Eh?. Dealing with humans is complex and requires skills training, time and self control. Be nice if there were less guns, drugs and knives out there.?

I don't think any of the western world mistook Chump for anything other than what he is, except in one way. They though that pandering to him would soften the economic blows he is capable of inflicting and attract favourable treatment. I have always maintained that is not the way to deal with transactional narcissistic bullies; and that they have to be stared down right from the get go. As I have mentioned on this forum, the pandering Starmer - a technocrat who was an unedifying capability of political self-alienation - was sickening to watch; at home though, many were initially claiming he played Chump skilfully, but quickly ate humble pie. The "allies" that did the best - Trudeau/Carney (the latter an ex head of the Bank of England), Albo, and the like - none of whom caved - seemed to get the better outcomes relative to their situations. For the rest, the horse has well and truly bolted; the only thing they can do is what Meloni has done - stare down Chump and correct him. However, I have to be honest, European (inc. British) leaders are generally spineless these days; and beholden to what they think may cost them an election, which, from my very small conversations with Europeans (mainly Germans), does not correlate to what at least some people think will cost them an election. Any move to push back will now be seen as fodder to carry out threats and treated as if the Europeans are withdrawing their hand of friendship. The new and improved "Art of the Deal".

He was their DC-6 Type specialist when I met him about 1967. OTA. Nev

I have given some thought to the effect of the USA withdrawing its military from foreign bases. I'm ignoring the military aspects of such a withdrawal. Ever since 1945 American military personnel have been in Germany. Remember the Elvis movie G.I.Blues ? Can you imagine the economic impact on communities around US bases if those military personnel suddenly were taken away? Those military personnel would have spent billions over the years, and would spend millions annually on food, entertainment, recreational activities (vertical and horizontal). Oh what a tangled web are military alliances!

I was giving DT some slack to see what outcomes he achieved, but I have to concede that he is completely deranged.

I'm wondering where he's going to find the $300b he's promised to give or invest in Iran. He's said the US is not going to chip in and I doubt that the Gulf states will be keen to put up money to benefit a belligerent regime that has just attacked them. The Saudis in particular will be telling Trump what he can do with his begging bowl.

A funny story... Whilst in the RAAF in the 70's, I did an interview for TAA and one of the questions was, "was I related to Arthur Lovell?" Very naively and innocently I answered, No! Wrong. I should have answered "Uncle Arthur, how the hell is he?" I never met him but aware of his fame for bringing Ansett's first B727 to Oz.