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Might be a good idea to postpone any flying until your bad vehicle patch has passed.

The world needs more Mark Carneys. Luckily he's taken over from Trudeau, who wouldn't have the intestinal fortitude to tell Trump to shove his trade and allies policies where the sun doesn't shine.

It's been a while since anything positive was posted in this thread - so to counter the negativity, here's some party photos! SWMBO and I went to a friends party (Christie, and she was 50) on Sat 17th. It was held at a local bowling club and we all had a good time - despite the fact I rarely go to parties now. Christie is a senior ER nurse, she's got a lovely nature. She laid on some great finger food, she had a DJ with some great 80's music, and there was dancing and good general fun. One of the most amusing parts of the evening was, Christie hired a portable photo booth for the evening and it came with a pile of props, and everyone had a ball with it! Christie is the girl in the blue, off-the-shoulder dress, and her daughter Molly (20) is in the white dress with the black images on it. Her younger brother Sam is in all black, and hubby Gary is wearing the check shirt. The images start at the bottom, where setup and testing the day before, produced some interesting "test" imagery, mostly involving Gary and Molly. See if you can spot OT and SWMBO, we're halfway down the images, posing with Christie, and I've got my best Elton John shades on. https://gallery.glowbooth.com.au/view/e85ec5e4-2f3e-4634-a126-076cff8346cd?

If lightning hits a dead tree, it will still travel down the tree to the ground (on the outside of the trunk), but it likely won't make the tree explode because of an inadequate level of sap in it. The reason trees explode when struck by lightning, is because the sap is superheated to steam instantaneously. The normal level of volatile eucalyptus oil naturally in the air, is at too low a level to be ignited by lightning. However, in a fire, heated trees close to the fire front can release large amounts of volatile oils that further exacerbates the fire strength. There is a known feature of bushfires, termed "a crown fire". A crown fire occurs in front of the main fire front, and is driven by strong winds, which send the fire front through the treetops, aided by the high level of volatile oils at the treetop level.

Nev, Spread the word far and wide, boats are a terrible waste of money, endless days can be wasted on the water seeing birds, dolphins, whales, lots of fish and watching sharks feed on dumb tourists. It's a horrible life and no one should suffer such deprivations. The number of times I have been almost blinded by bikini babes is astounding. Tell the world to stop been silly and never come to Port Stephens, it's horrible- like a frozen gulag. So bad in fact , I am restoring a half cabin 15 ft Cruise Craft, a mere 50 years old. My tortured life continues...

I thought I would have a look at what rare earth minerals are used for. Lanthanum (La) Camera and telescope lenses (high refractive index glass) Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries (hybrid vehicles) Oil refining catalysts Hydrogen storage alloys Cerium (Ce) Glass polishing (phones, screens, optics) Catalytic converters Self-cleaning ovens UV-blocking glass Praseodymium (Pr) Permanent magnets (with neodymium) Aircraft engines (high-strength alloys) Yellow pigments for glass and ceramics Neodymium (Nd) High-strength permanent magnets (NdFeB) Electric vehicle motors Wind turbine generators Headphones, speakers, hard drives Promethium (Pm) (very rare & radioactive) Nuclear batteries (limited use) Thickness gauges Research applications only Samarium (Sm) Samarium-cobalt magnets (high-temperature, defence) Nuclear reactor control rods Microwave devices ⚙️ Medium / Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs) Europium (Eu) Red phosphors in TV and LED screens Anti-counterfeiting inks (banknotes) Fluorescent lighting Gadolinium (Gd) MRI contrast agents Neutron shielding Magnetic refrigeration research Terbium (Tb) Green phosphors (displays) Strengthens neodymium magnets for high heat Sonar and sensors Dysprosium (Dy) High-temperature permanent magnets Electric vehicles and wind turbines Nuclear reactor components Holmium (Ho) Medical lasers Nuclear control rods Precision magnetic devices Erbium (Er) Fibre-optic signal amplifiers Laser technology Pink colouring for glass Thulium (Tm) Portable X-ray machines Medical lasers Radiation sources (very niche) Ytterbium (Yb) Stainless steel strengthening Fibre lasers Atomic clocks Lutetium (Lu) PET scan detectors Cancer treatment catalysts Oil refinery catalysts ➕ Related Rare Earths (Not Lanthanides) Scandium (Sc) Aluminium-scandium alloys (aerospace, sports gear) Solid oxide fuel cells High-intensity lamps Yttrium (Y) LEDs and display phosphors Thermal barrier coatings (jet engines) Superconductors Cancer treatments (Y-90)

I have finally finished my book with the title Hidden Rivers of Gold which covers the origins of Deep Lead Mining, the technology and challenges, and the final years of mining in the Carisbrook-Moolort area of Victoria which led to huge financial losses and very little gold. Characters involved included the State Premier and a future president of the USA. This was all around the turn of the 20th Century. The book can be purchased through online booksellers including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Fishpond, Booktopia and Angus and Robertson. Prices vary a lot, and some are in US$ so check carefully. The book is published by Echo Books.

Jerry, one bright spot that's turned the current position better - SWMBO came back from the operation very pleased, because the Doc had avoided a skin graft with a "flap" surgical removal process. This process is used quite commonly now, and many Docs are skilled at it. They make an incision and lift the skin back, then remove the cancerous bit, then pull the flap back and stitch it in place over the area of tumour removal. Done properly, it looks very good when healed. I had the flap procedure done on my face a few years ago, when I had to have a weeping cyst removed from one cheek. It's nearly impossible to see the scars and stitching on my face, so no-one can call me "Scarface"!. SWMBO is home now and resting, no bending over for three days, a need to keep her wound covered in the shower, and back to get the stitches taken out in a week. She's much happier than when she went in this morning.

Talking of tractors, we went on a bicycle tour a couple of days ago, the local guide was very informative. Apparently here the water buffalo were traditionally used to work the rice paddles. Now however there's a communal tractor in each area. The locals refer to them as "Chinese buffalo".

I think they missed a few letters in the title. The full word is "Megalomania"

When I mentioned to SWMBO that a woman invented the windscreen wiper, she retorted - "That'd be right! Always doing the cleaning!!" 😄

And that is what is driving the US administration. Our problem is more about keeping a safe distance from the unravelling disaster. Please, Albo, keep your head down, below the crazy americans view. Please ditch AUKUS. They are more a liability than a trustworthy ally.

Good luck with your recovery.

Here's another photo of the arrest, clearly showing camera in his right hand, the other held high empty. Murder pure and simple. Click to enlarge.

Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, has spoken out about the president’s most significant fear during an interview with The Telegraph. She also highlighted Trump’s fragile ego, claiming he is “nothing of who he claims to be.” While being questioned by the outlet, Mary Trump disclosed some revealing information about Trump’s vulnerabilities. “One of the things he’s most afraid of is to have people understand that everything about him is based on a myth. He’s literally nothing of who he claims to be,” she said, "He has to project this idea, he’s the greatest, the best. He’s trying to convince himself as much as he’s trying to convince everybody else.” The interview was initially shared in May 2025, but the clip has begun to recirculate on social media after the president’s strange, explosive speech at Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. “Perfectly said. Trump’s entire persona is a fragile myth, loud bravado masking deep insecurity. The fear isn’t criticism, it’s exposure,” replied one user to the clip on X. Another added, “Mary Trump nails it: At Davos, we watched an old man decompensate on the world stage—rambling, confused, exposed—because no one close to him cares enough to stop the unraveling. The myth shatters; the tragedy is he has no real self left.” During his already notorious speech, Trump spoke for over 70 minutes about global issues, Greenland, Europe, NATO, while taking every opportunity to big himself up. At one point, he even bizarrely claimed NATO allies "called him daddy" after he revealed he wanted to acquire Greenland. He also mistakenly referred to the country as Iceland several times during his address to the World Economic Forum. Onlookers were alarmed by Trump’s repetitive slurring during the lengthy address, fueling further speculation that the president’s health is not as good as he keeps saying. Last month, Mary Trump added to the speculation by declaring on her YouTube channel, “What seems to be happening is that he’s becoming more and more insecure over time. It seems the more he gets of what he thinks he wants—money, power, chaos—the more insecure and afraid he becomes.” Mary is the biological niece of the president and is also a psychologist and author. She is the daughter of Trump’s older brother, Frederick Crist Trump Jr., who died at 42 in 1981. She has been continually outspoken about her uncle’s alleged cognitive decline and has often given unique insight into Trump’s personality.

Trump WOULDN'T KNOW or CARE about that UNLESS you named (at least) ONE after HIM. Nev

A rare-earth mineral is a mineral that contains one or more rare-earth elements as major metal constituents. The rare-earth elements (REE), also called rare-earth metals, or rare earths, are a set of 17 nearly indistinguishable lustrous silvery-white soft heavy metals. The 15 lanthanides (any of the 14 metallic chemical elements with atomic numbers 57–70, from lanthanum through ytterbium) along with scandium and yttrium, are usually included as rare earths. Rare-earth minerals are rare because rare-earth elements have unique geochemical properties that prevent them from easily forming minerals, and are therefore not normally found in deposits large or concentrated enough for mining. This is the reason they are called "rare earths". The term "rare-earth" is a misnomer, because they are not actually scarce.

My Gripe of the day.... Our Social Australia Forum does NOT have a "Groan" emoticon. There are times.....

It's ONLY a "Fill In" Job till a better one comes along. Nev

Trumps middle of the night rant attacking and threatening Bruce Springsteen for speaking up against him is a good reason for another song remake by the Boss. "Not born in the USA", it could be about Trumps wives.

Apparently only 250 tickets have been sold in the whole of Australia. Quote of the day comes from Justin Smith on Sunrise this morning - I'd rather French kiss a cheese grater than watch that movie.

They had him down on the ground and under control, and his gun removed. There was no need to put 10 bullets into him after that. I can't go back into my viewing history to pull up a source video, but I did see one that mentioned what had happened previously. However, since I didn't watch the video I can't confirm for which side of the argument it was produced. But what is said to have happened back then did not happen on the day he died. Further, were those ICE agents involved in his death the same ones who were involved in the earlier incident? I would suggest that those associated with the events of his death are not likely to have positively identified him since over that period they no doubt swa and interacted with very many other persons. This back and forth can only be stopped by a full and impartial investigation of the incident. Unfortunately, in present day USA finding an impartial examiner seems like finding a unicorn horn in a pile of rocking horse manure.

The latest on Alex Pretti, the Vet Nurse shot by ICE, is that the bullet was not the cause of death, according to the autopsy. He had serious internal injuries, including broken ribs, which may have caused the death when they pounced on him. He had a run-in with ICE a week or so earlier. I saw the video where he charged the ICE agents, shouting and cursing them, kicked their car breaking the tail light, and spat on the car. This could have caused the agents to attack him when he returned. The story goes that he resigned from his nursing position a month or so ago, jooint some protest group or other, and have been acting erratically. These details, including the autopsy report were supplied by him widow according to the report.

US debt is around US$38 trillion & most of it is owned internally. About US$8 trillion is owned by foreign countries. Japan, China & UK are the biggest external owners of US debt. When the value of the US$ drops so does the value of the debt. Investors are slowly moving away from the US as a safe investment & this is being reflected to a degree in the loss of value of the US$ as well. Trumps dumb and erratic policies will probably see interest rates rise to try to stem the outflow of investment in the US. He's only been there a year & the rot is setting in already.

Marty, I used to be able to pull wheelstands on that Suzuki 50 stepthrough before I put the sidecar on it. It didn't have it's own power to do it, so you had to stand up on the pegs and start bouncing the weight over the bars a couple of times and on the right bounce, heave back on the handlebars while you gave it a handful. Once up on the back wheel, it was all balance.

Very adaptable people. It's quite a sight in Indonesia and Malaysia to see the Muslim female pillion passengers riding sidesaddle on the back of a bike. Amazing sense of balance when you see them swaying back and forth as hubby weaves in and out of the traffic. They've been doing it since they were kids so I guess it comes natural after a while. I've seen a family of five on a bike; hubby riding with a toddler on the tank, wife behind holding a baby and a little kid hanging on behind her, but I've heard stories of bigger numbers on bikes over there.

You should see what they do with a scooter here in Vietnam. Not unusual to see 2 blokes on a tiny ancient single cylinder rustbucket, with the guy on the back holding on to a homemade trailer with a load of bricks or 6m lengths of steel. Lucky it's so flat. I don't think they'd make it up a hill.

I believe Albo has invited Carney to address the parliament in March. That won't go down well with Trump. Canada is a lot like us in many ways, and Trump will probably see the invitation as Albo undermining the US.

In 1906, this chatty little handbook was released. It was called "The Woman and the Car". In the book, advice was given to women who chose to drive a car (gasp!), to .... 1. Carry a revolver, carry a small mirror for seeing behind them, for summoning help, and to also carry some chocolate (yes!) 2. The book also advised bringing hairpins, a pair of clean gloves, an extra handkerchief, a clean veil, and a powder puff for neatening up at the destination! I notice that there was no advice to wear goggles, which were pretty necessary for driving in 1906 due to a lack of proper windscreens, and very dusty unsealed roads. In incidental motoring news, a woman actually invented the first windscreen wiper!

Clinton & Obama have weighed in on this describing it as "a moment that will shape history" urging Trump to "reconsider his approach saying “Over the course of a lifetime, we face only a few moments where the decisions we make and the actions we take will shape our history for years to come. This is one of them. If we give our freedoms away after 250 years, we might never get them back.” Prominent republicans & some of the original MAGA influencers, the most prominent Being Joe Rogan, have also been critical of Trump, Noem & ICE. Some commentators are likening ICE to the Gestapo in WW2. This has caused Trump to refuse to defend the ICE agent when asked & now say that the administration is "reviewing everything" about the incident. There will be no apology, ICE will get away with a review & a few sackings & the murderers will get off lightly. Trump will blame those he sacks as always though.

Arrrgh! Sounds nearly as bad as TasMANIA. Anyone would have to be crazy to go near these aweful places!

The problem with time lapse is that in order to give the impression it is just sped up, the shutter speed is effective slowed down and it chops out bits. The bike came to a full stop and I leaned to the left, inadvertently moving the bike to the right. Foot down to hold it, onto loose stones in the wet and over it went. I tried to stop it falling. I guess I was thinking soft tissue injury will heal for free v. fixing damage on the bike. The front types are about 18 months old and have 1/2 life tread left in them - maybe a touch less. They handle and grip well in the wet - apart from my own stupidity in this case, I have yet to have an oh-ship moment and I have ridden the bike in all but warm conditions so far - including some fairly torrential rainfall. With any luck I will be back on it this week, as the leg is healing quite nicely. I tried a lean on my right foot while sitting on the bike with the foce expected that would slightly exceed normal loads for city riding and I felt no pain. Of course, if my right leg is called for materially more strength/stretch, it will not yet end well.

Exercising his Right of Assembly, Right to Freedom of Movement. Right to Express an Opinion.

IT’S OFFICIAL: VICTA IS BACK IN AUSTRALIAN HANDS 🇦🇺 This one matters. After years overseas, Victa lawn mowers an iconic Australian brand is back in Australian ownership.

Going to see some of Scotland next year, even booked a Loch Ness boat ride, going to find Nessie if I can.

Pedantic... Semantic... Trapped ? Yeah, stay away you infidels.

The problem with rare-earth elements is the dreadfully toxic and extensive processes involved in extracting those elements. They consume huge amounts of energy in the extraction processes, utilise multiple toxic chemicals in the process, and produce multiple levels of toxins and pollution when doing so. Plus, a by-product of the rare earths extraction treatment is radioactive compounds. All this, to get the necessary elements to produce "green" end products?

Oh Yes! - It must be great, being able to sit on a steady 80 knots! - in your 60 foot cruiser!! Just need a few oil wells on the home farm, and a following fuel tanker, to keep them fed!!

Yep, like the motor I installed on my inflatable kayak - serious engineering required😁

Maybe we've Groan out of it? Nev

I've discovered the economic growth area of Russia. It's.... Media ! "Kremlin spent 1.9 billion USD on propaganda last year, the budget exceeded by a quarter" Since any allegation is false unless there is a cite... https://www.debunk.org/kremlin-spent-1-9-billion-usd-on-propaganda-last-year-the-budget-exceeded-by-a-quarter

Combined with those high narrow handlebars it would be very interesting.

And I thought I was grumpy.

I can do a rebuild series if anyone is interested, it will even have aerospace technology in the build. No it will not be a expensive to build Resto mod.

That might not have been just parochialism. What WERE you wearing?

There's already a substance that could very appropriately be named after him. I propose we rename it to "bull-trump".

They keep telling themselves "WE OWN this JOINT" and "white Fella's Just Muck it up".. What effect does THAT have on their KIDS attitudes to Education, white Mans LAW, AND property? Nev

Farq And the boats they displayed multiple engines with didn't look that big