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Well, I have a great piece of positive news. My Hilux is suffering from noisy rear wheel bearings, so I thought I'd get a couple of new ones. I started looking around, and you have to buy a kit with seals and collar, as well as the bearing. The best price I could find was around $104 each. Now, I'm a bit fussy with bearings, and I much prefer to buy German, American, Japanese or even Taiwanese bearings, as I consider them superior bearings to Chinese, and even Thai-made bearings. As my Hilux was built in Thailand, I suspect it has Thai, or even Chinese bearings. I think that's the reason they haven't performed as well as I'd expected (the Hilux has done 190,000kms and has done a lot of heavy hauling). So I kept looking around, and I was amazed to find a website throwing out Timken bearing kits to fit my Hilux - on "clearance" - at - wait for it - $4.89 each!! The company is in Doncaster in Vic, so I ordered them last night - and blow me down, they were delivered this afternoon!! The two bearing kits cost me a grand total of $25.79 including delivery!! The company is Precision International, and I reckon they must have packaged them at first light, and run them out to the airport to catch the early morning flight to Perth!! What is even better - I opened one of the packets and the bearings are actually Made in Japan!! Bonus! So this little exercise has made my day!! Thank you muchly, Precision International!

Well, I'm celebrating a weekend without the family at an airshow (if my flight ever leaves, was originally scheduled for 8:35 and is now estimated to be 10:05). I rode in this morning and left the bike at an off-site parking area near the airport. Half the price of a car, so works out cheaper than catching the skybus. Fairly cold but nothing like Jerry puts up with - I haven't got heated grips though! Hopefully will catch up with Nev there - if you're reading this Nev, you have my number. Looking forward to it - sad to hear of the Spitfire doing a wheels-up landing there, hope pilot is ok and the bird doesn't have too much damage.

I'm not a bearing expert, but I have been watching a few videos of a bloke who fixes electric hand tools. That often requires replacing bearings. He often comments that while bearings are often made in China, to quality depends on whioch company they are made for. In other words, they are manufactured to specification. If the spec is good, then the company name is imprinted on them as well as the Made in China mark. If they are El Cheapo, they are marked simply with China. One thing that I have learned from those videos is that the cheaper tools from names like DeWalt and Milwauke use the cheap bearings. That means that it is often not worth the labour to replace them so the tools are throw away.

I have to sign up to get that. Anyhow be away from now as am going to Scone early Fri Morning .Jetstar to Newcastle. CU all Monday. I might see Marty there.. Those in the West, Watch out for Narelle. Forecast to extend to Esperance. Unusual trajectory. Cheers, Hoo Roo and fly safe Nev

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/safest-countries-in-the-world https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/crime-rate-by-country

I watched the video. Before he presents the chart, he says, and I quote precisely, "I don't claim this sheet to be correct. I just ask the AI models to get an outside view" I notice that for violence, he quotes Rapes and assaults but not murders. The thing with murders is they are just about always reported, whereas rape and theft figures depend on the likelihood of those incidents being reported. Some countries, such as Sweden, have high rape statistics but also have a broader definition of what constitutes rape, therefore higher figures. In some countries, reporting rape is probably pointless and therefore not reported as often. As an example: "Rape in Afghanistan is legally a crime, but prosecutions are extremely rare due to social stigma, fear of retaliation, and deeply flawed legal processes." I imagine the number of rape prosecutions in Australia is much higher than in Afghanistan, but this does not mean Afghanistan is safer. Likewise, theft is under-reported in all countries to varying degrees. Another omission from this table could be gun deaths, especially when comparing Australia to the US (perhaps cherry picking data to suit the argument?) The thrust of the video is that you should go and live in Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Dubai or Cyprus. I am open-minded, but the evidence he presents is pretty shoddy.

First off, I'd like to know who "CTO Larsson" is, and does he have any credibility as regards accurate reporting? From what I see, he doesn't. He's a Swedish engineer, pissed off at immigrants.

Bloody sad stuff- Aus, one of the unsafest countries in the world. Based on early 2026 reports, the Netherlands, Australia, Iceland, Canada, and Switzerland are consistently ranked among the safest countries for travelers, often recognized for low crime, high stability, and excellent healthcare. Other top contenders include Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, and the UAE, while Canada has been noted as a top destination in some specific 2026 safety reports.

Trump had a shot at Australia for not supporting his unlawful war against Iran. I wonder how much Intelligence information is being collected at Pine Gap. Also, what US operations are being conducted from Tindall? Is Albo doing the right thing by keeping our noses out of that mess?

Was it a 'blade job'? https://www.unilad.com/news/us-news/jesse-ventura-piers-morgan-trump-assassination-attempt-fake-765416-20260325?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook

I told you it was dry! I copped a dust storm today. This afternoon a fast moving front passed over. The winds were very strong and had picked up dust from far away. I went outside and could feel the grit in the air. The sky was darkened, as if a thunderstorm as about to hit. I looked up into the dust cloud and was sure that I saw a bolt of lightning. I felt sorry for the horses in the paddock next door as they stood with their rumps to the wind and their tails blowing about. As relief, after the dust cloud had passed it began to rain. Not torrentially, but enough to wet the top of the soil. That little bit will further help the feed in the paddock grow a bit more. At least there is some green where there has been brown for so long.

Here's part of it.

Trump agrees to pay a French company nearly a billion dollars not to build something. https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/AAE9Husbu1zZpNcbZ0B3HUToCwR/AAE9Husbu1zZpNcbZ0B3HUToCwR:2.2?.intl=au&.lang=en-AU&fullscreen=1

50% increase with a very good reason. The situation in the ME, Stop carrying on. Save it for a real crisis. Be thankful there's still fuel available. Panic buying has caused most of this. We ran out of toilet rolls too. It wasn't because we were shitting More. Delivering more fuel takes more fuel trucks that also use fuel, and would need extra trucks and drivers. Demand has been Multiples of Usage. Nev

Liberal Preferences went to One Nation . Nev

Plastic jerry cans have a lot of headspace above the measure mark, but I can't see anyone fitting 15 litres in a 10 litre jerry can. My 20 litre jerry can would probably take 24 or 25, but the 10 litre one would probably only hold an extra two litres.

I think Saturday is the day they officially allocate preferences. So far preferences have been estimated by various outlets but they're using their own estimates and not that of the electoral commission. The reason is the electoral commission was expecting the Liberals to poll second overall and had worked out two party preferred estimates based on that. One Nation coming in second caught them with their pants down, so their preference estimate was no use and observers like the ABC etc. have had to try to work out their own estimates. It looks like One Nation definitely has Ngadjuri with current estimates putting them at 58.3% to Labor's 41.7%. Another seat, Hammond, is most likely to go to One Nation with current estimates at 54.4% over Labor's 45.6%. They're leading in another two, but only just (by 0.6% and 1.2%) over Liberals in second place. They're in with a chance there but the problem with those two seats is that Labor and Green preferences will go strongly to Liberal over One Nation. Liberals also often do well with postal votes, but I don't know what the status is on that count. At this stage for One Nation, it looks like definitely one lower house seat, most likely another one, and possibly those last two depending on Saturday's distribution. The ABC is calling three One Nation seats in the upper house, so that makes four between the two houses with another possible three in the lower house.

Well everyone prob knows by now but today they say the US has presented Iran with a 15point plan , Iran's knocked it back and given the Yanks their own 5point plan. See what plans we have tomorrow eh !

There are far too many Wars going on in the world and apart from the Trauma and Inhumanity etc The cost is borne by all of us. Ukraine has been going on nearly as Long as WW2 Free trade is needed to be Guaranteed for stability. Not varied on the Whim of some Ignorant Racist Dictator seeking profit for Himself and his Flatterers and EF the environment. The biggest FAKE object is the Present POTUS. No electric vehicles as far as He's concerned .The Trump Created fuel crisis Must be a Big Impetus to More electric cars. Nev

+ In New Zealand, light diesel vehicles (under 3,500 kg) are subject to Road User Charges (RUC) rather than a fuel tax at the pump. Standard Light Diesel Rate: The current RUC rate for standard light diesel vehicles is NZD $76 per 1,000 km. Per-Kilometer Breakdown: This equates to 7.6 cents per kilometer (plus admin/transaction fees when purchasing). Rental Vehicles: Many rental car providers pass this cost on, often charging around $0.0874 per km (including GST) to cover the RUC. How it Works: Vehicle owners must pre-purchase RUC licenses in increments of 1,000 km. Administration: The system relies on odometer readings, with updates checked during WoF inspections. Note: The RUC applies to diesel vehicles, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles (EVs) to fund road maintenance, ensuring all vehicles pay

If she's an imitator, she mustn't have many original ideas of her own. Not much hope of progressing society if that's the case.

Fuel excise is about 50 cents a litre. GST is calculated on the retail price including the excise so an additional 10%. EVs currently pay nothing but hybrids pay whenever they fill up with petrol or diesel. Studies have shown that hybrids don't get anywhere near the economy quoted by the manufacturer. This is partly due to the fact that many hybrid owners don't recharge them regularly. They are already taxing EVs in NZ and it is on the basis of providing an odometer reading at certain intervals. This also occurs with diesel cars but commercial diesel vehicles are fitted with hub meters. Diesel doesn't have excise tax in NZ so it is cheaper at the pump than petrol. Victoria had a short lived tax on EV distance travelled but it was pulled after the court ruled it illegal as only the federal gov't can levy such taxes.

In NZ there was a counter on one wheel on hire cars. There's plenty of ways it could be done. Use the car More. Pay a bit more. Toll roads have been in existence for Ages. Yul Bryner also said "Don't SMOKE. Nev

They are running BBC News instead. If the World ends, they will tell you. Be bad to have it end without you Knowing. Nev

Just like Trump Does?. The fact Pauline's a super admirer and Imitator of Trump, should ring alarm bells in ANY thinking Person. Nev

I have failed to vote 3 times in my life, not purposely but I just forgot. Twice I failed to vote in council elections. When I got a fine notice I just said I was working outside the area and this was sufficient. Once was a state election. I said I was unwell that day. Just meekly paying the fine seems like punching yourself in the face to prove a point If you believe that compulsory voting is unjust then surely you believe surely you believe that the fine is unjust. Unless you want to be a martyr to the cause, why play ball with the authorities?

Any ethanol in the fuel will make it run leaner. I wouldn't risk it. Nev

I Put more than the tank holds in my vehicle when it still had fuel in it. Advertised at a discount, Never went there again. There are random checks I believe. Nev

The final fine notices I get for not voting don't have written on them what they're for. I have asked ladies at Service NSW, and they don't know either, they only know I have to pay a fine. I pay them, guessing they're for failing to vote.

Makes me sick. And you just watch the supermarkets cashing in on this over the next 6mths now too. And it'll take Gov - not that they even worry the supermarkets anyway but 6mths later by the time they've even noticed, the supermarkets have made extra billions by then.

Look out GON!

Averaging mileage is not equitable. Compare my mileage with one of our city-dwelling members. If I go into town, it's a 20 km round trip. About once per fortnight I go into Dubbo. That's a 150 km round trip. What is the mileage for a city-dweller going to a shopping centre? That is the simplest case. What about a family vehicle which is used for transport to work each day and recreation on the weekends? The most equitable way is through the GST pad for fuel. My light car uses about 7.5 l/100 km. A family SUV, which is heavier, uses about 10. So the more a vehicle is used, the more fuel it burns and therefore fuel purchses are related to vehicle weight. This then creates a problem getting contributions to road infrastructure from hybrids and EVs. As Yul Bryner was want ot say in The King and I, "'Tis a puzzlement!"

I believe it's captioned Duck Donald. Nev

Yeah, the buses run on pupil-free days, too.

A friend who drives a big school bus found it is often empty or near empty, but the government contract does not allow a smaller bus nor to not run empty if there are no kids.

Yep. Even far above CA or Florida and other US parts. Thankfully, well sort of, we do get beaten, just, by the UK, Sweden and France surprisingly to well to me anyway, the chart is complicated to take in but fairly simply laid out none the less,you'd have to look at it. Buttttt, how sad is that. For all our nanny stating, over the mountain regulation and rules on rules on rules, that's where it's gotten us. l can't post the charts here bc they were on a "CTO Larsson" vid- "My top three underrated countries to move to " But if interested you could watch that or just do an AI stat search , he said that's all his charts were. He also said some countries lower stats would also be from under reported crime but still- we tripled most of them. Soooo, if you don't even watch our news last few yrs any more or you watch world news instead like l do just to avoid the horror every night on ours, or you have thought 1000 times lately this is too much, there's something seriously wrong in our country- you weren't imagining it. And just to make it even sadder and shameful , you know what one of our highest crimes is, rape ! over 18,000 rapes per yr and l think it was saying that is only by 1 million scale so you could x that x 27. Triple and even much more than most other countries. l knew we were disgustingly high in crime and so much is wrong about the way we're raised/brain fed and tackle things here these days, but those stats were just sickening.

The usual paths of the pressure systems really seem to have been out of whack this year. Also the strength of the winds has been incredible. It seems that every morning the news reports lots of storm damage in places that never seemed to get it before. Victoria is coping it and Sydney has been plastered. Even the most recent tropical cyclone moved in a direction contrary to the usual. I wonder what winter will be like.

She's always played the Racist card. Now she's a Trump worshipper and Backed by Gina and Murdoch. Today she comes out saying the ABC should be defunded. Murdoch will Keep his Pro PHON lies coming. Gina and Murdoch now OWN her. Gina will eventually pay less tax. Those who pay the Piper call the tune. Ordinary Australians don't count, and are just Being deceived. Nev

He'd lose a reason to be Grumpy and that would be a disaster.. IF I hated Australia as much as he does I'd leave and go where my Idol Rules. Fixed easy..Nev