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How's this one for an example Nev. I'm only about 77kg but can't shake the belly fat no matter what I do. While not huge, it's not ideal either. I don't drink alcohol, the only animal protein I eat is seafood, don't have dairy products, gluten, sugar or any sugary foods or drinks. I eat almost no processed, packaged food and never eat junk food. Diet consists mainly of grains, fruit and vegetables. I get quite a bit of exercise for someone my age, partly targeted, the rest from physical work. Every day I do heaps of gut related exercise, sit ups etc., yet still maintain belly fat. There hardly any fat on my body, just around the midriff. There's nothing left to cut out of my diet, zero saturated fat and zero sugar, only the natural sugar found in fruit. There's a lot of people around like that who have the same issue. Also too many who eat all that stuff you listed.

Physios have their Place. Chiropractors are More Likely to cause injury, Backs Need Movement, I had 3 desiccated discs in the Lower back and now they are all moving with No Operations on my back Needed. . That's done entirely with appropriate exercises. Twisting with No Weight on the spine. Nev

The battery management system in EVs is very sophisticated so all you have to do is plug the car in. You can't overcharge the battery. The original wisdom was that you should only charge NMC batteries to 80% for normal use & to 100% when going on a long trip. Real world use has established that it doesn't matter and that the batteries are lasting up to twice as long as previously thought to at least 500,000 km. This is reflected in the current battery warranties from CATL, the worlds biggest battery manufacturer, of between 1 & 2 million km. The only issues with charging to 100% is that the last 20% takes almost as long as the first 80% and that you should not leave the battery sitting at 100% for months at a time. This mistake has been made by people going away somewhere for a few months to a year or more & finding that the battery has degraded when they use the car again. Leave it in the garage with 60-80% charge & come back a year later & there will be little if any degradation. The advice is that LFP batteries can be charged to 100% all the time but the same advice for NMC is valid for LFP when not using the car for extended periods. So in the real world scenario it doesn't matter what type of battery the EV has, just charge it based on your own requirements. My MG4 has a 64 kWh NMC battery & i charge it when I get low cost electricity & from the solar panels, usually to 80% as that is sufficient for all my normal weekly use. So far the cost has been zero. Of course there was the up front investment in the cost of the car & the solar & battery system. The original payback was estimated at 5-6 years, but that has now reduced to 2-3 years on current charges.

Well I will make a connection between grids and EV's. My new solar is connected to the grid. And will charge my EV. So there! Now, back to EV's. (steps down off soapbox)

It's mostly crap FAST food with FAT, salt and sugar. Sixty years ago hardly anyone was fat. Look at old photos. WE are the same but Our lifestyle isn't. Cut out Highly Processed foods and sugary drinks Avoid High GI foods Eat whole fruits, not Juices. Cut out snacking, Cakes and cream and Icing sugar. Sugar is rocket fuel, Fried Chips soaked in Overheated FAT. The safe level of transfat intake is ZERO, Nev

Boiled crawdads . Nev

I heard on the radio a couple of days ago the median house rent in Brisbane is $780 p/w and $650 for units. It makes you wonder about the top end content in those median prices and how many affordable places are still out there. It would be interesting to see numbers of houses in various price ranges that result in those averages.

A lot of physiotherapists live in a dream world. Standing on two feet with your eyes closed is a pretty good effort for anyone in their eighties, one foot is unneccessary risk taking in my opinion. Most people aim to do it on one foot with eyes open.The only physio I've ever been to that knew what she was doing was a young lady who migrated here from Mumbai. All her assessments and advice were practical, common sense and effective. And it was all verbal with some written take home instructions, very old school. Most of them these days are all about box ticking. They take your money and send you home with an exercise programme where you have to log in every day to their site and tick boxes saying you've done the exercises. Not worth two bob. There's heaps of physio mobs jumping on the bandwagon to hoover up medicare dollars via care plans using BS like that. It's a license to print money.

It's fairly basic. onetrack, you're lucky enough to have a fast, fat burning metabolism like my dad had. You couldn't fatten him. A lot of people aren't as lucky and have slow metabolisms and a tendency to accumulate fat around the midrif. There are people who are vegetarians, don't drink or eat any fattening food and do heaps of exercise and can't shake the belly roll. And to diet it away doesnt work either as it's the last to go; the rest of the body will wither right away before the belly does.

SNOPES is a fact checker. Nev

There were no obese people in Changi. Losing weight too fast will reduce Muscle Mass. The "Pinch test" tells where FAT is. Doesn't work with the Head though. Nev

You can easily look up who tells the whoppers IF you are fair dinkum about it. Nev

Renewables and batteries drive down fossil fuel use despite record electricity demand Here is a short summary of this article. Australia’s latest electricity data shows that renewables and batteries are increasingly meeting demand and displacing fossil fuels, even during periods of extreme heat and record usage. Rooftop solar, wind and large-scale solar all contributed strongly, while batteries helped shift cheap daytime energy into evening peaks—cutting gas use to around 25-year lows. This shift has contributed to lower wholesale electricity prices compared to a year ago. While retail prices don’t fall immediately—because they include network costs, retailer margins and are often locked in through contracts—the trend suggests that continued growth in renewables and storage should put downward pressure on retail electricity prices over time. Now I am expecting someone to say "oh it is the bias ABC" I think it is fair to look at the source of any story. In this case it is the AEMO "Quarterly Energy Dynamics Report Q4 2025" Quarterly Energy Dynamics Q4 2025

I've never seen anyone lose traction, chuck a burnout or do a wheelie in an EV, so I'm at a loss to explain how the higher powered EV's are dangerous. I have seen a Tesla zip away from the lights very rapidly, though - much faster than even I could keep up in a 2.5L Camry Atara, which has reasonably fast acceleration when you floor it. The Camry weighs 1465kgs and has 135Kw of power (180HP in the old money), so it's not underpowered. But that Tesla went like a cut cat let out of a bag. And my bottom line is - I went from Perth to Albany and back (over 800kms total) in early March, and got 6.1 litres/100km with two people and their luggage aboard, averaging around 105kmh, so it could be quite a while before I can warrant lashing out on an EV.

Nearest towns are 20 minutes either way. When I go downhill to town my Prado gets about 7 l/100 km. When I go the other way, uphill to the other town, I get about 11 l/100km. Of course.

At no stage do you go Downhill in the 80 Kms ? Nev

My place is a certain height above sea level. The town I go to is even higher above sea level. That's what I mean by "uphill all the way".

I have seen my SOC go up on a long downhill run from Dorrigo to Bellingen on the Waterfall way. It added about 50km to the range at the bottom. Going up used a lot more though than I recovered which is expected. When going downhill for a long stretch it is a good idea to use the highest regeneration setting. One Pedal driving is the highest in my car as it will bring the car to a standstill without using the brakes. I use OPD usually in towns as there is so much stop start driving. EVs are very economical in city driving partly due to the stop/start & Regen but also due to when stopped no energy is being used at all except for the 12 volt electrical system that runs everything except the cars traction system.

I'm afraid I'm very behind the times with prices these days, I must get out more often. I had a session at physiotherapist falls and balance clinic this morning. One hour session $185. I don't know how much I will get back from Medicare. Have to do exercises so I can stand on one foot with my eyes closed. Try this if you are my age, early 80's. Stand upright with your feet together and eyes closed. Hold that for 30 seconds. Not easy. have something close to you that you can grab onto for support. Also, there's a 4 bed, 2 bath, 2 car space home across the road from me up for rent - $690.00 per week with $3000 bond. That's more than the single pension, although a single pensioner wouldn't need a 4 bedroom home.

No one is trying to convince you to get an EV. Uphill does, of course, use more energy; not only does going downhill on the return not use energy, it actually gains energy through regenerative braking (whilst saving brake pad wear). My son has to drive up and down a long, steep hill (NZ). Going downhill, you will end up with a higher state of charge than you started with. Of course on the return journey, you still have to get back up the hill (not 100% effective). I can't think of any EVs that would not comfortably do that trip. You can then plug in at home, and if you have solar, it is virtually free.

I'm pretty certain some ICE cars are called high Performance also and have restrictions on who can drive them. You don't see electric cars doing silly things on the roads as it reduces your range. (Well, I've NEVER seen one so far). They don't make any Broom Broom noises to show off. either. Where's this hill that 80 Kms and uphill ALL the way?? Every time you back off the battery gets some charge. EV's don't wear Brake Pads very Much. Nev

Then don't get an electric car if it doesn't suit you. If town is only 80km away why would you have to charge there? Even if it being all uphill used twice as much charge as usual, that's only 160km and obviously you'd use half as much charge going downhill, so another 40km makes 200 for your round trip. Most EVs have a range of 450 or more so just charge at home.

In New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and South Australia, P-plate drivers are generally prohibited from operating vehicles with a power-to-weight ratio exceeding 130 kW per tonne. This restriction significantly impacts electric vehicles (EVs), as many popular models—such as the Tesla Model Y and high-spec variants of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6—exceed this limit due to their high power outputs, even though their heavy battery packs often keep their ratios close to the threshold. While the 130 kW/tonne rule is the primary metric, New South Wales also bans specific EVs classified as "high-performance" based on other data, regardless of whether they technically meet the power-to-weight cut-off. In contrast, the Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, and Western Australia have no vehicle power restrictions for P-plate drivers, allowing them to drive any EV regardless of performance specs. South Australia’s restrictions additionally apply only to P-plate holders under the age of 25. Tesla Model Y: The entry-level Rear-Wheel Drive variant is banned in NSW and Victoria because its power-to-weight ratio is approximately 132.7 kW/tonne, just above the 130 kW/tonne limit. Hyundai Ioniq 5 / Kia EV6: The Techniq/Epiq and GT-Line variants are banned in NSW (and likely other states) due to being classified as high-performance, despite some variants having ratios under 130 kW/tonne. Allowed EVs: Single-motor models like the MG 4 (approx. 90 kW/tonne) and base-model Polestar 2 are generally permitted across all states with restrictions. Penalties: Violating these rules can result in substantial fines and demerit points, such as $603 and 7 demerit points in NSW, which can lead to license suspension for P1/P2 holders. AI-generated answer. Please verify critical facts.

Is that in ALL States? You would think something limiting the acceleration could cover that. Nev

HOW could anyone WORK with Trump??? He's all over the Place. When things turn to $#!t, as it inevitably does, it will be YOUR fault. Nev

P-platers cannot drive a Tesla Model Y, and possibly many other EV's, because the power to weight ratio is too high. They have to drive ICE vehicles till they are off their P's.

You can't get Impurities in the fuel of an electric vehicle and you reduce the Number of Fuel tankers on the road. I Never like driving near them. ( especially in tunnels). Nev

At the same time he says the war is over because the 60 days without Congressional approval has passed. This is something he won't get & is calling that amendment unconstitutional. So somewhere between $US 25 billion & $US 1 trillion. According to the Pentagon the first 6 days cost $US11.3 billion & other sources say the true cost is between $US 630 billion and $US1 trillion. So back to the Epstein files? No he is diverting attention once again to Tariffs by increasing duty on European cars to 25% claiming without evidence as always Europe has reneged on the original deal.

Have you Had a Test drive of one yet? There's plenty of them on the road. Nev

Me too, all of that.

Gripe: Because of my soft-touch keyboard I keep having to go back into posts to correct typos. I think that I might be being pressing the keys too softly. Also, I often type "the" as "teh". That's muscle memorty, I think. Also I keep hitting adjacent keys. These things are set to try us.

I don't know the details of the latest media reports on how far an EV will go on a charge, but I wonder if a lot of the problem comes from peoples' ignorance of how to operate a new technology. Perhaps people do not know how to properly manage batteries.

I see King Charles got Trump to drop the tariffs on Scotch whiskey.

Sometimes I look back at forgotten news from the past. The old Russian connection to the Tangerine Toddler is largely forgotten. This 4 year old Guardian article notably failed to result in Trump suing. I wonder why. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/15/kremlin-papers-appear-to-show-putins-plot-to-put-trump-in-white-house

Anybody intersted in talking about EVs?

Everyone goes on about rising CO2 levels in the atmoshere. But rising compared to what? How does science determine a base value for comparison. There must be some way to determine exactly what "fresh air" is. Just south of the isolated north-west tip (Woolnorth Point) of Tasmania, at a place called Cape Grim, the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) fund and operates the Cape Grim atmospheric observational facility. The Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station first began measuring the composition of the atmosphere in April 1976 and has been in continuous operation since that date. The air sampled arrives at Cape Grim after long trajectories over the Southern Ocean, under conditions described as ‘baseline’. This baseline air is representative of a large area of the Southern Hemisphere, unaffected by regional pollution sources. Air samples are analysed at the station to determine concentrations of greenhouse and ozone-depleting gases, other air pollutants, including aerosols and reactive gases, and radon. Since sampling began at Cape Grim, more that 3 billion measurements have been taken. Among these are measurements of greenhouse gases (GHGs), including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and synthetic GHGs such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). The number of atmospheric greenhouse gases measured at Cape Grim now exceeds 50, as well as concentrations of natural and anthropogenic aerosols (particles such as sea salt, mineral dust, carbon particles etc). Some of the air samples collected at Cape Grim have been archived for further analyses as required. This picture shows some of the samples stored in "fresh air archives". Because we have these measurements and samples going back 50 years, we are in the position of being able to say that the atmoshere has changed over that time. Happily, all is not doom and gloom. The growth of some GHGs (for example methane) has slowed recently and some are in decline (CFCs and halons for example). Read more here: https://capegrim.csiro.au/

A concern that I have does not involve future terrorist activities of the wives, but the attitudes of their children. Those kids have grown up an an certain environment. They have been indoctrinated by the controllers of that environment. Just consider the outlook of German kids who grew up under the NAZI regime. At the end of WWII, when the world hey grew up in came to an end, they lost all that they knew. They had to undergo education to let them learn that what they believed in, one could say their morality was not the truth. I wonder how many of them were mever able to fully change their ideas. The same can be said for all children, no matter what ideological system they grew up in. Isn't the Aussie Spirit we try to instill in our children just another ideological system? I say, let those adults amongst them who were Australian citizens, return. However, let us give the children of those people all the help we can to detoxify from what they have been lead to believe was acceptable.

Muscles disappear. If you diet, fat around the shoulders disappears. But that big spare tyre around the gut is immovable.

Better stick to petrol cars I think. No power to weight ratio restrictions. No charging batteries for 1/2 an hour if a charging station can be found, and hoping no one else is using it. How quickly do the batteries discharge if the trip to town is uphill nearly all the way? That's my predicament, uphill for 80ks, downhill coming home. Checking my petrol mileage via my liters per 100ks gauge, much more petrol is used going to town than coming home. If I had an electric car, I probably would have to charge the battery in town so I could get back home. But what if there were motorists lined up to use the charging station? How long does it take for each car to be charged? I might be there all night waiting.

Apparently My crook right and is inoperable. Nerve damage. What's Muscle memory, Mark?. Remembering when you HAD Muscles? Nev