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When is someone going to tell Trump to pull his head in, he doesn't rule the world. He wasn't elected to run this country. What right has he to tell us how much we should spend on defence? The amount spent on defence worldwide is staggering and sickening.Almost every thing troubling mankind, and nature, could probably be fixed if the money spent on defence was redirected to corrrecting these problems. Just because some greedy a**holes can't mind their own business.

I wouldn't go as far as Litespeed but he is a waste of space. Heard him on the radio the other day talking up the Macquarie Point white elephant and saying that if the Tasmanian government doesn't build it, no business will trust them. Absolute shite. There's probably about 2000 people in Tassie who physically regularly go to the football, and most of them are from the north of the state. I don't particularly care whether Tassie gets a football team or not, but to my mind the AFL have acted like absolute c**ts in mandating, as a deal-breaker, a new billion dollar stadium which the state can't afford in prime waterfront land which should be mixed use restaurant/ park/ boulevard etc.

He's doing it for a reason. He WANTS an incident in LA so he has an excuse to stomp down harder. He would be thrilled if a protestor killed a cop or soldier. I know I sound like a broken record, but this is 1930's Germany all over again.

I bought a Thesaurus today - but when I got home, I found all the pages were blank!! I just didn't have the words to express how angry I was!!

As Peter just mentioned, Trumps "Big Beautiful Bill" has passed. This bill is beautiful for billionaires, because they benefit hugely from tax cuts. It's very much horrible for most Americans, removing vast amounts of money from health, food assistance programs, education and environment. This is so it can pay for those tax cuts for the wealthy, as well as increasing the size of ICE's budget by a factor of 14 (from $3.5b to $48.5b). Despite these cuts it will still add 3.3 TRILLION dollars of debt over the next decade. This, by any objective view, is a terrible and harmful bill. The people it affects the most are the poorest, and ironically, their "representatives" in the Republican party are the ones who pushed it through - against their own interests, their political interests, and the interests of their constituents. Why? I can only think that Trump and his MAGA freaks, so similar to Hitler and his Brownshirts, have such a grip of fear on house Republicans that they do not have the courage to stand up to him, even on such a disgusting piece of legislation. What else can explain why they would vote for something so wrong? Many of them had publicly spoken out against the bill in the days before they passed it. Seeing this travesty makes me so glad we don't have a "cult of personality" type head of state here in Australia. I'm actually starting to think that remaining a monarchy and being kind of attached to the UK is no bad thing. Let's face it, no one is going to throw themselves on a grenade for Albo or Sussan. They are simply the politician who happens to lead their party, not an emperor-wannabe who wants to impose his twisted desires on the whole country. We have sufficient distance from our "King" that neither he nor his successors have any influence over our country. I kind of think of England as the old parent's place; America is the rebellious older child who left and joined a religious cult, Australia is the younger but more mature kid who lives apart from Mum or Dad but still gets on ok with them.

So thats about $24 to fill up a 60kw battery. If you go 350k on it, that's 6.8 cents per k. My mitzi does .09 litre per kilometer. Thats roughly 17 cents per k. Just on fuel alone, the electric car would run at less than half the cost of my petrol car. Then factor in the six monthly engine service, which the EV doesn't need. And a periodic auto transmission service that an EV doesn't need.

Not sure if this should be in the Trump thread, or in this thread ..... Click on the photo to expand it, if you're having trouble reading it.

Don't have to go insulting whores and hookers...

Copper can be recycled, oil can't. In terms of copper availability, according to the International Copper Association. "Despite an ever-increasing demand for copper, there is more of the metal available today than at any other time in history. This, together with the ability to infinitely recycle copper, means that society is extremely unlikely to deplete the copper supply, and copper will continue to contribute to global initiatives, like the SDGs and clean energy." Copper Demand and Long-Term Availability and according to AI While the demand for copper is increasing, especially with the push for renewable energy and electrification, it's highly unlikely we will run out of copper in the foreseeable future. There are large reserves and resources of copper, and recycling efforts and new technologies are expected to help meet the growing demand. Here's a more detailed explanation: Abundant Resources: Copper is naturally present in the Earth's crust, and there are vast reserves and resources that have been discovered and are potentially profitable. Recycling: Copper is highly recyclable, and recycling efforts are expected to play a significant role in meeting future demand. Innovation and Exploration: Mining exploration and new technologies are constantly contributing to the long-term availability of copper. Increased Reserves: Despite increased demand, reserves of copper have grown, and there's more identified copper available than ever before. Demand vs. Supply: While some studies predict a potential shortfall in the near future, others suggest that supply will be adequate to meet demand with continued exploration, recycling, and technological advancements. Economic Factors: Copper prices may fluctuate based on supply and demand, but scarcity is unlikely to be a major long-term issue. Importance for Green Transition: Copper is crucial for renewable energy technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles, so meeting demand is essential for the green transition.

Iran Can't block electricity at the Gulf of Hormuz and you can get electricity very cheap at the right time. Electricity is not imported. Nev

Imagine what we could do if the $380B was kept here, and invested into Australian defence manufacturing. I reckon conventional subs will become obsolete, as tanks have become in this age of drone warfare, and remotely-controlled unmanned mini-subs such as the Huntingdon version will become the norm for underwater stealth activities. They can't get sub crews at the best of times, it's the next best thing to a kamikaze mission during wartime. We have the Australian-designed Ghost Shark mini-sub under development here, the Govt need to wake up and understand that buying war equipment now, for delivery in 20 or 30 years time, is about on a par with ordering a hundred Sopwith Camels in 1919 for use in WW2. We had enough of a problem with obsolete equipment in 1939. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Shark_(submarine) https://www.defensemirror.com/news/33048/Huntington_Ingalls_Unveils_Remus_620_UUV

Having a extremely painful dose of shingles across my chest and stomach, it's a serious thing. It lasted on and off for six months and small flare-ups for about a year. No matter your history of health , if you have the antibodies, you are at risk. Especially as we age, the odds drop and so does your bodies ability to fight it's effects and reduce the severity and longevity of the disease. Taking two little jabs in the arm is the best insurance medicine can provide.

Oooh, errr - this is what Google AI says about the level of psychos in the world ...... General Population: Estimates consistently place the prevalence of psychopathy in the general population at around 1%. This means that for every 100 people, one is likely to be classified as a psychopath. Variations in Estimates: Some research suggests that the percentage could be higher, with some studies indicating that up to 4.5% of the general population may exhibit some level of psychopathic traits. Criminal Populations: Psychopathy is significantly more prevalent in criminal and prison populations. Estimates range from 15-25% in adult prison populations. Business World: Some studies have suggested that psychopathic traits may be more common in the business world, with figures around 3-4% cited for senior positions, according to Wikipedia.

Who'd want to visit the USA? Its time is over. We should be forming stronger defence bonds with Europe, Canada, Japan, South Korea and NZ, as well as maintaining cordial relationships with China, India, and the rest of Asia. If saying bad things about their dictator is enough to stop visitors, their whole tourism sector is going to go tits up.

Sounds reasonable. Quite a lot is also consumed in bulk

The US system of three supposedly co-equal branches intended to balance each other is really a system designed for conflict. When it gets way out of whack as it is now, it is anything but co-equal. When one of the branches is effectively one person who doesn’t want to play by the rules the system of checks and balances clearly doesn’t work very well.

Jerry? Is that you??

The more facts you have the better your predictions will be. Trouble is many facts suit the aims of the Vested Interest, and are very selective for that reason. People are very selective in what they will believe and listen to or think about. Animals (including Humans ) like a "clear Path" to a resolution as that helps their survival in simple situation's of "Fight or Flight". Nev

Ahhh, that's sad news, rgm. Nothing more hurtful than having to put a faithful companion down - and even more so, seeing as it was your late wifes. Here's wishing things pick up for you soon.

Most new ICE cars don't have a spare wheel these days. Usually it is large 4WD & SUVs that still have a spare. Also most spares if they are supplied are smaller in diameter as well as quite thin & are called space saver tyres. My EV does not come with a spare. It has a tyre pump & a can of goo. If that doesn't work, included in the 10 year warranty is a free breakdown service Australia wide. I don't know what models have poor fitting panels etc. The build quality of my MG4 is the best of any new car I've owned. So far 27,000 km and not a single rattle. Everything fits together without gaps etc. The Japanese originally raised the bar when it came to build quality but the Chinese have now surpassed them. Robots virtually build the entire car without human intervention & do it better. All I can say about reliability is that my MG4 has not had any problems at all.

The problem with reliability surveys is that there are often vested interests at play ON BOTH SIDES. A new study conducted by Europe’s largest automobile association has found that electric vehicles (EVs) are less prone to breaking down than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles of the same age, which can suffer two and a half times as many breakdowns as electric cars. EVs more reliable than ICE vehicles, with the best and worst electric cars identified (April 2025) I think the language in the 80% story is interesting. In one iteration of this story it says 80% more "issues" and in another 80% more problems I would love to see the raw data. The closest the article comes to data is; "The most common issues for electric cars include faulty charging systems and poor assembly, such as misaligned body panels and loose interior fittings." Only one of these issues relates the the car being an EV. I know early Teslas had alignment issues but I understand this has been mostly fixed. There is absolutely no reason why, for example, an MG4 EV should have any more body panel issues than its IC counterpart. Another issue is that many EVs have software that reports even minor issues automatically. It is a common story in the media that Tesla is recalling a million vehicles for a fault. When you track down the story, the recall actually means an over-the-air update. It is important to look at the data dispassionately, whether you favour EVs or IC and to realise that on both sides there are vested interests as well as unconscious bias, again on both sides.

Nev, everything in Broome is at a premium during the Dry. We were lucky, we normally stay at the Habitat Resort, it's on 7 acres out near the Port and the accommodation units are self contained and nicely spread out, which is what we like. Because we've stayed there regularly for years, we got a discount calling them direct. But it's still $290 a night. The main problem was we could only get 8 days straight at the Habitat, then it was fully booked from 20th July on. But we found a nice AirBnB on the Northern outskirts of town, so we scored the last 4 days at the AirBnB, so it's all good. Even got a good deal on car hire at Thrifty through our RAC WA card, 20% off the hire rate. I'm looking forward to the warmth and relaxation.

So here is an extremely detailed tour of Redwood Materials, a battery recycling company. This video is an hour long, so I guess most people won't watch it so here are a few key points. This business is profitable, and it does not receive any federal subsidies. Apart from making money selling materials recovered from batteries, it also makes cathodes. At the 38-minute mark, it shows you another one of its income streams. They have 20MW of Solar panels They have 60MW of battery storage, which comes from 800 used EV battery packs. As well as using this power for the factory, it is able to sell power to the neighbouring data centre at a price less than the grid and still make a profit.

Have you read War and Peace, The Great Gatsby, For Whom the Bell Tolls, or perhaps Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus? No doubt you have heard about these books, and maybe even seen movies based on those novels, but radio plays, movies and TV shows very often fail to reflect the actual content of those novels. Recently I took up a copy of Bram Stoker's Dracula mainly so that I could eventually say, "Oh, yes. I've read that." What amazed me was how Stoker's story is so much better than anything produced based on the original story line. I began reading the novel with a feeling that it would be a Ho-hum horror story that focused on Dracula's blood-sucking activities. But as I read, I was drawn into a really exciting story. I suppose that I was looking for all the images that I have become accustomed to from modern depictions. What I found was that modern depictions, which begin with the 1922 German film Nosferatu, concentrate on Dracula himself - his need to avoid sunlight; that he has no reflection in a mirror nor casts a shadow, and of course his penchant for giving women bloody lovebites on the neck. In the novel, while these things are mentioned and used to instil fear, the majority of the novel deals with four men who have seen what Dracula has done to a woman they loved, and take on the task of locating Dracula and destroying him by driving a wooden spike through his heart and cutting his head from his body, all within the aroma of cloves of garlic. The plot line is can be described as a "seek and destroy" mission, but with a lot more effort to deal with what the men are thinking an doing. It would be unkind of me to go too deeply into the plot. All I cna say is that, if you like a really good, ripping yarn grab a copy of the book and settle down for an enjoyuable read. I was lucky to have picked up a copy published by Penquin Books. The copy I read was the 2003 revised edition with chapter annotations, and appendices by Maurice Hindle, Visiting Fellow in the Department of Literature at The Open University, in England. If you want to read the same edition, ask your libraian to use this ISBN-13: 978-0-141-43984-6.

Every shopping centre open carpark should have roofing covered in solar panels to provide weather protection for the shoppers walking to and from the stores, and loading their cars. The solar panels should be connected to batteries powering rechargers that the shoppers can plug into while shopping.

This looks like similar to the unit i this vid. In this case, it is connected to the grid and when the battery is full and or demandis low it can sell back to the grid. Also, this was installed in 3 hours.

At the moment most EV charging points do not have energy storage & rely on a large cable from the grid. If a petrol station did not have large tanks of petrol stored underground and relied on petrol & diesel being supplied via a pipeline, it would have to be a very big pipe when multiple vehicles were refuelling at the same time. The first very large EV charging station is near Shenzhen Airport opened in 2023 with 258 chargers and charges 3,300 EVs every day. It is jointly operated by BYD & Shell. The site is also covered in solar panels and has battery storage which is continually topped up from the grid & solar. The concept that you will need a megawatt of supply if 10 vehicles are being charged simultaneously at 100kW assumes no storage. Part of the basic premise of the grid using renewables is storage and exactly as petrol stations require storage so do EV charging stations. The only difference is that there is no giant fuel tanker required as the batteries are continually being supplied. My EV has a theoretical range of 450km & can charge at 140 kW from a DC supercharger. It has a 64kWh battery. At 110kmh I get around 400km. I do not have a 400km bladder & stop at a charge point when the battery reaches around 20%. At a super charger the charge is back to 80% in about 15 minutes. That only gives me time to visit the loo & grab a very quick bite. Normally though I will find a slower (50kW) charge point as they are cheaper & spend about half an hour to have a better lunch. There is a company I think based in Darwin that has designed an EV charging module with battery storage and a mini solar farm that can be delivered anywhere in the outback. It requires no grid connections & has 4 charging points. Sounds like a great idea to me and blows away the argument that EVs are no good in remote locations in Australia.

Good idea. Commute that woman's sentence if she becomes a cook at the white house.

The last thing they shoulder doing is flattering the clown, it will only inflate his self importance level. maybe they should be looking for that recipe for beef Wellington whilst he is there and serve it for lunch, by accident.

I read it as a teenager, when I finally unpack my library into its new shipping container home I will look for it and maybe have another read of it. i remember it being well written. the amount of books I have to unpack, sort and shelve will be fun. I hope the 40 footer is big enough. Planning on dark wood, a copy chesterfield lounge ( fake leather, price of real scared me) maybe whiskey bar in one corner to sit and enjoy a good read with a glass.

Just skimming through a report from Energy Networks Australia suggests that prices went up in 2024due to high gas prices. "Electricity residential prices (real $2023) are forecast to increase significantly by 2024 due to volatility in international gas prices. » While prices are forecast to stabilise by 2030 there will be slightly higher network prices due to higher input costs. » Prices rise again between 2030 and 2040 associated with firming the system to enable the transition to renewable generation. » Energy sales from electrical vehicles will help reduce network prices by FY2050, helping to bring down energy prices through improved utilisation. However, this will be offset by the need for transmission investment to connect renewable zones." Of course, changing the way we generate and distribute power will have some up-front costs but sticking with the old does not seem to be a viable option. I note that Bluescope is quite active in renewable projects for it's own operations. I disagree with the notion that we are rushing at breakneck speed towards renewables. In 2013 14.76% of power was from renewables and in 2024 it was a little under 40% Yes Australia does only produce a small amount of the total CO2 however if you added the emissions from all of the countries that produce under 2% it is a meaningful contribution. Also do we want to be a backwater that relies on old technology? Whilst China is a huge polluter it is also adopting renewables at a fast rate. It is like turning around a super tanker, but it is happening.

HHG Dacre Stoker was the commander of the Australian submarine AE2 that was eventually sunk in the Sea of Mamara in WW1. Bram Stoker was his cousin.

He forgot to add "including myself"

Want less crime? Fund high quality universal early childhood education. Do free nutritious school lunches. Provide free dental care. (Health not cosmetic). Those things alone would help bring down the crime rate. As others have said, the better the society, the less crime. People who are healthy and well educated are far less likely to offend.

The Middle East is the crucible of all wars, every nation there loves killing off neighbouring tribes, it's the history of the place for thousands of years - it's only been since WW2 that there has been long periods of relative peace (interspersed by short wars, of course, such as the Six Day War). As one lot of dictatorial warmongers is killed off, another dictatorial warmonger, or warmongering group, arises to replace the ones bumped off. Trump would be well-advised to steer clear of any involvement, because there's nothing surer the enemies of America in the Middle East will be hatching another 911 attack on the Great Satan, as of right now.

I just watched a short clip on battery powered trucks getting the battery swapped. This is in Auckland NZ. The swap took less than 4 & a half minutes, quicker than putting diesel in the tank & the battery is recharged in 2 hours. The battery weighs 2.8 tonnes.

Teflon Don has a problem he can't easily pin on Biden or Obama anymore.

I hate that damn reminder to "finish setting up" (ie install McAffee and make Edge the default browser, neither of which I will ever do).

I have actually been involved with a legal situation for the last 18 months regarding drug dealers next door in a housing department property. Instead of getting hysterical, we organised our neighbours, made allies in the police and housing department educated ourselves and appeared to give evidence. We won, and these people are going to be evicted by the police and the property is going on the private market. The moral of this is that whinging and whining gets you nowhere. We educated ourselves and kept positive. I am sorry that you seem to be so unhappy with life.

Here's an interesting perspective on the current unrest in Los Angeles that doesn't suit Trump's MAGA agenda given the inconvenient fact that Los Angeles was once part of Mexico. I was there as protesters flooded the streets of downtown Los Angeles, their chants rising over sirens and the buzz of low-flying helicopters. The air was thick with smoke, and the sharp, acrid sting of chemicals burned the throat and made eyes water. Loud bangs echoed off concrete buildings, followed by the thud of rubber bullets hitting pavement and bodies. A wall of L.A. police officers stood unmoving at the edge of the crowd. And above it all, in the chaos and confrontation, was a sea of raised fists and Mexican flags. Not tucked in a pocket or painted on a cheek, but unfurled and waving high, as if daring the city, the country, to see them. We know what came next. The outrage. The backlash. Not discomfort, but anger. Real, visceral anger. For many, seeing the Mexican flag waved during a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement doesn’t just raise eyebrows; it feels like an affront. They ask: If you’re demanding rights in this country, why wave the flag of another? But that flag, at that moment, is not about rejecting the United States. It’s about refusing to be erased. It’s layered with history, memory and defiance. It calls into question who we are as a country and, more important, who we’re willing to include. It forces a reckoning with a national identity far more complicated than many are ready to admit. At a time when immigration is no longer merely debated but wielded as a tool to stoke fear, consolidate power and dehumanize an essential part of our society, and when the political cost of empathy has grown prohibitively high, moments like this don’t just spark controversy; they become crucibles. They force us to confront questions without easy answers: Who truly belongs in this country? And at what cost? Can American identity contain this kind of complexity, or is belonging still tethered to silence, assimilation and the quiet erasure of everything that doesn’t conform? Los Angeles is the perfect place to ask these questions because Mexican identity isn’t foreign there. It’s foundational. This was Mexico once and remains part of the memory, culture, street names, food and families who never crossed a border because the border crossed them. In that context, the Mexican flag isn’t necessarily a symbol of separation or rejection. Sometimes, it’s a claim: We are both. We are Mexican and American, not divided but layered. This is what our identity looks like. But American pluralism has never been as open-armed as we pretend. It often tolerates presence but punishes visibility. Mexican Americans are deemed essential when the country needs labor — in the fields, in hospitals during the covid pandemic, in our homes, in our schools and in the armed forces — but suspicious when they demand dignity, political voice or the freedom to show pride in where they come from. The message has always been: Contribute, but don’t complicate.

That's a laugh. The most corrupt criminal in the whole country is Trump himself.

There is a movement in California to succeed. This would be good for California but bad for the US Here's why the state wants to become an independent country Of the $4.67 trillion in revenue from the states in 2023, over 35% came from the nation's four most populous states: California (12.2% of the total), Texas (8.9%), New York (8.0%), and Florida (6.7%) g I think it would be good for California to cut loose the anti-intellectual red states, who educationally and financially are not pulling their weight. The situation 8in California is not a state of emergency. This is political theatre from the man (and a dress rehearsal for the rest of the country) who pardoned the Jan 6 mob, where people actually died. The reason people are kicking up against the ICE raids is that "we are only going after criminals" has proved to be bulshit. Using the military against their population is crossing a dangerous line usually reserved for dictatorships.

Let me think... The US has a deal whereby some insignificant country promises to give them billions of US greenbacks for subs that they don't even have to provide. Good for US? You bet it is.

But now that he has trashed the system of checks and balances (regardless of its shortcomings), there is no control over subsequent dictator types. Then the only rule left will apply:- 'Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely' (or something like that)

Even though He's a SOD I don't go with the "shoot them" concept. I don't even go with the death penalty. Nev

Albo to the rescue?? I'd really like to see Albo rescue Australia from the grip of AUKUS. And from reliance on a rogue state (USA), for our defence purchases.

Here is an extremely detailed analysis of swap vs charge. It is quite long and nerdy, but worth watching. For those who are interested but don't want to invest 34 minutes, you can jump to the 29:52 point for s succinct summary.

Forget the fake Chesterfield, they cost a bomb and wear out real fast. Buy a quality real leather one 2 nd hand and it will have quality in build and comfy long life cushioning. It really pays to wait for a real one to come up. Fake leather wears fast then looks shite. Just bought a $5000 Italian lounge for $1000 as new for art studio, very high quality and far cheaper than a fake new.

GON, the historical evidence is that the criminal law (including punishment) by itself is not an effective deterrent. Yeah, no doubt there are some that are on the fence that probably think not to do it because of the possible consequences, but the murder rate was higher when capital punishment was avaiilable than after it was abolished. Just google merder rate before and after capital punishment and you will see the murder rate after dapital punishement was abolished in Australia dropped. The reality is there is a percentage of society that will commit crime.. And there are many reasons for it. Just locking them up and throwing away the key doesn't address the root causes; It's like sticking a band-aod on a cut finger when your loss of blood is attributed to internal bleeding. Yeah, we need the punishment (and rehab) element, but attacking the root cause, whilst taking more resources and a longer time to see results, produces a sustainably lower crime rate over time. The evidence is in the numbers. The problem is, and it is not limited to Gen Z, society wants immediate results/gratification.. Reforming societal issues that contribute to the issue is no mean feat.

Nothing would have come out of a brief meeting with Trump anyway, so it's almost irrelevant whether they met or not. It would just be a photo op for home consumption.