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Lots of shortcomings in Claudes answers, and "he" constantly probes for more information from Margaret, to add to his knowledge bank. Give it 20 years, and we may struggle to determine if we're speaking to an AI robot or a real human being.

Yes, that make the USA and Israel the two biggest sponsors and users of terrorism currently today.

Ahead of the curve.

Is it the servos or is it the oil companies? The servo is the retailer - the link between the oil company, local distributor and the customer. It is the oil companies which set the wholesale price of fuel. If they raise the wholesale price, then that rise passes down the chain. The oil companies also set the price at their own sites and their franchised sites. Have you ever noticed that the price changes at competing oil company sites rise and fall in unison? It is the independents who can control their price more closely. I suppose the idea of servos price gouging comes from the independents going from being cheaper than the oil company sites to matching those sites in the same area. So, perhaps the action taken by the ACCC, or Fair Trading would be appreciated by the oil companies as it might drive an independent out of the local market.

Treasurer and the ACCC to take serious action against petrol stations hiking prices and gouging. You see, same old , nothing new.

If you think about it, you could almost say that terrorism in modern times started with the first raid by German Zeppelins in WWI. However, I suppose a deeper look would find examples of attacks on non-combatants throughout human history.

On that basis most of the wars are terrorism

Yes but it doesn't count because Trump is sent by Dog to do his work. ....... ? Nev

Correct.

A terrorist organization is a group that uses violence, intimidation, or coercion, often against civilians, to achieve ideological, political, or religious goals. Does the Adminsitration of the USA fit that definition?

There's an interesting through-line. Atwood's picture of Claude: Vonnegut's asshole in Breakfast of Champions looks like this:

This link takes you to a conversation between Claude (A.I.) and Margret Attwood. Totally worth a read. https://margaretatwood.substack.com/p/claude-you-are-a-cutie-pie?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1195719&post_id=190895157 Does A.I. have emotions? Is it a psychopath in sheep's clothing? Does it tell lies just to shut you up?

I wonder when the Qatari’s are going to repossess the jet they gave Trump. That gift hasn’t worked out too well for them now his excursion into Iran has resulted in missiles and drones heading in their direction.

Given that terrorism is idiocy, and global terrorism therefore is a part of global idiocy, I would start with the terrorism. But, yep, would be great to take out all the idiocy.

Word

Normally, I would agree with you, but the costs to the government are also going up as well, unless they hedge their fuel costs, and even then the hedges will only last a shorter duration I would expect. . So all it would mean is that they have to borrow more and we would also have to pay interest as well. They may as well slug some of us now (we have the same issue in the UK).

I have no doubt the effects of this war will linger for years. There will be lots of negative effects. But if the USA succeeds in ridding the world of the source of much of its international terrorism, the benefits are likely to greatly outweigh the costs. It is just too early to tell. But if you don’t have a go and roll the dice, nothing changes.

Be careful what you wish for. The outcome of this punch-up could be vastly detrimental economically to all Western Nations, most companies and corporations, and certainly a lot of employees. Inflation is likely to triple the percentage of what it is now, interest rates will follow, and a major recession follows on from those two. I've seen 17% inflation under Whitlam and it's a shocking thing to try and cope with. You may recall the period, it was one of high unemployment as well as high inflation, as well as the ongoing effects of the '73 oil crisis. The oil price tripled from $4 a barrel to $12 barrel in late '73, long lines formed at servos, and there were major fuel shortages. The oil crisis only lasted from Oct '73 to March '74, but the effects of it lingered for years afterwards.

Before the start of the "war", petrol at my place was $1.70 for 91 octane. It is now $2.25. That's and increase of 55 cents. Since GST is 10% the current price returns Treasury an extra 5.5 cents per litre. As well as calling out the oil companies for gouging, we should also call out the Government. Notice that I said that GST generates money going into Treasury. At the moment the Government is Labor, but if the LNP was the Government, then I reckon they would accept the windfall as well. I'm not trying to say that Labor is being nasty and the LNP wouldn't be. I'm saying that both would not deny the exra money coming into Treasury. Apparently, the voters are "unhappy" about rising food prices, layoff, inflation, etc., but they are totally pissed off, furious and more than somewhat upset that the price of petrol is sky-rocketed. I suppose those who drive ICE vehicle are also annoyed with the drivers of EVs.

That's right.

Trump bombed all the military installations on Kharg Island today which Iran uses to export 90% of its oil, nearly all to China. He has also threatened to bomb the oil infrastructure on the island if Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz. I think the Iranians will call his bluff. They can’t stop him, but it would just give them more incentive to hit back and keep the blockade up if he does go ahead. The regime will fight to the bitter end because they have nothing to lose. Trump is also supposed to meet with Xi Jin Ping at the end of the month. Xi won’t be happy if Trump has demolished his main source of oil.

9 (+10+11+12+13)

I put the same question to the AI search bot on my browser in relation to Victoria. Here is the answer - Yes, in Victoria, you can cross double white lines to pass a slow cyclist, but only under specific conditions. Key rules for crossing double lines to pass a cyclist: You must have a clear view ahead of any oncoming traffic. The manoeuvre must be safe and only done when necessary to maintain the required minimum passing distance. You must give at least 1 metre of clearance when passing a cyclist on roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h or less, and 1.5 metres on roads with a speed limit over 60 km/h. This rule applies to all motor vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. While crossing double lines is permitted for overtaking cyclists, it is not allowed for overtaking other vehicles unless it is safe and legal. Always remember: if it’s not safe to pass, slow down and wait. The priority is ensuring the safety of the cyclist and other road users.

There ya go, Govs have had to double fines for gouging, l wonder why, and servos all over the country have so far already been fined- what a surprise. On another note they've also lowered diesel fuel standards for 60 days, means they add things to increase supply. For anyone mechanical, is that still ok for the motor, especially one like mine with high k's ?

I think it looks better the way it originally was in the second photo. Will see what happens when I see the end result. It's not hard to revert it back to photo 2 condition. The first photo is more embedded rust; the second photo is just light surface rust after a couple of salt and vinegar applications.