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Mar-ole-Lardo

In the lexicon of parents with young children, "LEGO" means "lounge room landmine"

I have to disagree with you here. As much as I dislike our biased media, it is not its job to tell people the details of new laws. That is the job of the lawmakers. The politicians have to delegate the task to the Public Service which understands the intricacacies of the legislation and develop educational material which presents a citizen's rights and responsibilities under the law in a simple way. The answer that citizens want to know is, "What is hate speech?"

Perilous Poorline JUST Loves Trump. Got an Invite to More A Leggo with Gorgeous Gina Not Long ago. I hope they don't think Australian Sheela's look like THAT sample. Nev

Albo has said he will not be joining the Trumpist gang and needs to focus on domestic issues... A polite way of saying fuck off.

To be fair, most Americans I have met are really nice and quite resourceful.

Is it Cliff Richard finally looking his age?

I personally think this new poster is a subtle misinformation troll, who should be booted from the forum. I expect he's backed by Russian interests. I have no idea where his information line is heading, but I suspect it's going to produce a lot of subtle lines about how weak Europe is, and how they shouldn't try to arm themselves up, because that would be very dangerous, because Vlad owns all the nukes in that neck of the woods.

In this day and age, the maxim that 'ignorance of the Law is no excuse' is not an acceptable element of a prosecution. Why? Simply because the volume of Laws/Regulations which have been enacted to enable our society to operate. Do you know every single Law/Regulation pertaining to the operation of a motor vehicle? More than likely, not. In the past fortnight Laws/Regulations have been made in two areas relating to firearms and "hate speech". Assuming that they have been assented to by the Crown, they are enforceable. But can you quote them, or even have no 'ignorance' of them? If we must know, in detail, what these laws and regulations cover, then it is incumbent on the governments which made them to provide the necessary information to all persons who would have to comply with them. Maybe a campaign should be started to force our lawmakers to set up the facilities to provide that information.

I have recently cancelled my subscription to New Scientist after reading it every week for 57 years. Most of that time it was a company subscription until I retired. I cancelled because it is now written by politically correct teenagers. And because I can't keep up with an issue every week. It was great until about ten years ago.

We all get caught up in major news stories from time to time. With all the tech & social media "improvements" to our information sources, what can we trust? When you say "the press", do you mean the multi-billion-dollar corporations owned and/or controlled by billionaire oligarchs? Just my opinion, but if you're still consuming, or worse paying for that stuff, it's probably best to quit the habit. These days we have to dig deeper.

On the firearms bill, the federal government can only restrict what is within their jurisdiction, eg: restricting imports via customs regulations. They can restrict the importation of items, but those items can still be legal to possess and use in the various states. As this SSAA bloke says, one worrying aspect of the bill is the broadness of new laws regarding using the internet to access firearm videos on youtube. The aim is to make it illegal to use a carriage to access any information on 3D printing of firearms or information on modifying firearms. The possibility is that by watching a gunsmithing video on youtube you will now be committing a serious offence unless the laws are refined to a more specific and workable state.

LEGO is not a random word, and it’s not an acronym made up later for marketing. The name dates all the way back to 1932, when a Danish carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen founded the company in Denmark. At the time, he wasn’t making plastic bricks at all. He was crafting simple wooden toys during the Great Depression, trying to survive while still creating something meaningful for children. The word LEGO comes from two Danish words: “leg godt.” Translated into English, it means “play well.” That simple phrase became the foundation of the entire company. Christiansen believed that play wasn’t just entertainment — it was essential for learning, creativity, and growth. From the very beginning, LEGO wasn’t about toys alone. It was about quality play that helped children develop their minds. What makes this even more fascinating is that years later, people discovered an accidental coincidence. In Latin, the word “lego” can be translated as “I assemble” or “I put together.” LEGO has said this was completely unintentional, but fans still love the idea that the name perfectly matches what the bricks are designed to do. Whether coincidence or fate, it only adds to the magic behind the brand. Over decades, LEGO evolved from wooden toys into the plastic bricks we know today, but the philosophy never changed. Every set, no matter how complex or simple, still follows the same idea: play well. Build, imagine, take things apart, and start again. That message quietly shaped generations of children — and adults — without most of them ever knowing the meaning behind the name.

Sydney's new Fish Market site has just opened and as well as solving many problems associated with the supply of sea food, the building itself demonstrates that when included in the planning stage of buildings, solar panels can provide the electricity and at the same time contribute to the aesthetics of the building.

Ouch! Hidden fencing wire takes down bulldozers, too. It gets caught in the tracks, then wraps around the final drive, and cut into the seals and destroys them. I spent a lot of time educating trainee dozer operators to stop, the instant they see wire in the tracks, and to get off and cut it, and pull it all out. We kept wire cutters on every machine.

The above sounds very much like a Russian war bloggers contribution - especially the last sentence. There's no indication anywhere that Wilson went to fight in Ukraine simply for the money - which was likely less than what he was paid in the Australian Army. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01-01/australian-russell-wilson-was-remembered-as-corageous-soldier/106191082

Rememberthat A.I. is constantly learning, and gaining better every day. As it matures, it will exceed everone's ability to pick a fake. Furthermore, our collective reliance and trust is steadily increasing. It will easily replace googling to find the answer to any question. In future I'm going down to the mens shed or the pub to get my facts.

I am a paid subscriber to the Financial Times, though I recently cancelled it, so some time in February, my access to the articles will run out. It is owned by Nikkei Inc, a Japansese media company. It has been for some time. Why am I leaving? Because is has become a paper reporting more on politics than finance. Also, at over £300/year, they restrict the articles I can see. Effing ridiculous. They do have a good reputaion though. However, it is still, in my opinion, embellisdhed. Twice I have read articles about subject matter I am directly involved in, in a professional capacity. And twice, they were not terribly accurate. One was during the implementation of the EU financial directive and regulation, together referred to as MiFID II. It doesn't matter what it is about, however, the story they wrote was for a particular part of the regulation I was working on was that the regulation was nebulous, that the industry working groups had no idea what to do, and it was effectively unworkable. That article was read by the managing director of one of the businesses (effectively a CEO), who sent me a sharp email referring to the article and a please explain given the progress updates I provided to him did not highlight this dire situation. My response was that there were some minor questions on the meaning of a couple of paragrpahs in the regulation, that the regulator had porovided clarification, and not only was it well understood by ourselves, but the industry groups had also understood it.. and that our bank as well as three others I was in contact with had implemented the systems to meet the rule - 18 months before they had to! They also reported that the total number of paragrpahs for the regulation and all of the supporting officlal clarifications, technical standards, implementation standards (EU law is bloody verbose), came to over 9 milliion. Well, I haven't read all of the EU member states extensions, but I had read all of the EU and FCA regulations, clarigications, explanatory notes, technical standards, and implementing standards, and bugger me, it was no where near that. You pay for BS with any media - they want you get read it for eyeballs sell advertising. The more hysteria they can raise, the more people will look, the more advertising they will sell. (p.s. in Aus, I may have kept the subscription as I could probably write it off against my taxable income; over here, they are tight-arses..)

70! WTF! I am getting old! 😉 I bought my first midnight oil CD in Czeske Budejovice (pronounced Cheskey Boodeyovitza) in the Czech Republic (Czechia is actually made up by Google, I was told by a Czech who works for me). That was in 1998, while I was working at one of their nuclear power stations. Fond memories of both the place and oddly associating Midnight Oil with the place. Also, my first non-French European landing was at Czeske Budejovice. True story - the sister of one of my then Czech work colleagues, now firend, was the singer in a cover band (she still is an absolute cutey; her brother didn't quite fare so well). I was taken to a restaurant where they played, and on learning I was there, the band riffed AC/DC and Midnight Oil songs virtually all night. The restaurant owner sat with us for a while and asked if I could broker live sheep exports to the Czech Republic from Australia. "Sure", I said, imbibed with local beer. Never happened, though. Sad Rob Hurst passed relatively young.

Good God, it's Shirley MacLaine. She's decrepit, I reckon she hasn't got long to go, before she shuffles off. Maybe it was associating with Andrew Peacock that did her in.

Not a Latin speaker Jerry but they can definitely be cilly sunts.

We may need them to fight off the USA.

South Australians pronounce it "Lay-go". Weirdos.

I think you mean in vino sunt ineptiae 😉

Really? In my experience it's more "In vino bullshit", but maybe that's just who I imbibe with 😆

I don't wish to go there. nev

I think that it would now be an offence to view this old Two Ronnies skit.

STRESS shortens Lives. Nev

In Vino Veritas. Nev

Yes, It IS NOT very BIG. Been there. Nev

The entire country of Monaco is about 5/8 the size of New York's Central Park. It's area is o.805 sq mi, compared to 1.317 sq mi.

Nev, my ancestors on my mothers side were the McLeans and the McKenzies. They came from Ballachulish ("Balla-hoolish") in the highlands, alongside Loch Leven, and not far from Glencoe. My Dad came from Portsmouth. Mum told us whenever her sisters would come home with a boy, her fathers interrogation would go like like this; "I see ye ha' a new man. What's his name?". And if the girl said a surname that wasn't Scottish, her old man would go (in disgust), "Ach!! A Sassenach!!" 😄 Unfortunately my mother married a Sassenach, so that didn't meet with his approval, either.

The NY Times has ripped Trump a new one, with a headine article outlining the endless Trump personal greed.... https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/01/20/opinion/editorials/trump-wealth-crypto-graft.html?unlocked_article_code=1.F1A.Ynrv.OQ52hwdiBxQN&smid=url-share

They don't tell you about the Midges either. Do you have a Clan Name? Nev

Friends say Russell Wilson was killed in action in Ukraine's Donetsk region on December 12. According to available information, the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce are providing assistance to his family. A small number of Australians died during the four years of fighting in Ukraine, but these were high-profile cases. Social media posts dedicated to Wilson's memory claim that the Australian did not die for "glory, medals, or headlines" ("he died because he believed that some things are worth fighting for—even if the price is worth everything"). Desperate actions are incompatible with family life. Wilson's pre-wedding trip was likely motivated by selfishness and a desire to earn extra money.

IF the MEDIA did it's Job they would inform people They don't DO NEWS . Only their VIEWS. Nev

Let's hope his son dies younger. About 13-14 years younger would be good. At least 24 years younger would have saved us from both presidencies but that shit has sailed.

Drift ! Drift ! Whatever happened to Bondi's bridge? I didn't even know Pam bought a bridge! (Gullible, I say)

The joke in the kitchen is where I stopped watching, but it was funny (in my childish mind, anyway):

I got 13 out of 15 before I gave up as it seemed they were all fake.

It is very satisfying to use a heavy duty slasher on rough scrub.

As Octave has already answered the question, here is a Big Ben clockface.

Rob Hurst, drummer and founding member of Midnight Oil, has passed, aged 70.

I wish HE was FAR KING Gone B4 he does More damage.

If I had a dollar, every time some feted clairvoyant, religious nutter, or other predictor of doom and gloom, made a worldwide announcement, that a huge cataclysmic event was going to happen on a certain day (usually the end of the world), then I'd have enough money for a decent holiday!

Well it was on the news in Steak-n-kidney. I clearly recall laughing my head off about it. At the time I wished I could go down to Adelaide to sit on that beach - would have been some party! (Of sceptics)