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Nowadays I am forced to use the only tool that reduces that pain. It's called a debit card.

Trump goes to his doctor and takes off his hat to reveal a huge toad on the top of his head. “When did you notice that?” asked the doctor. And the toad answers: “It began as a boil on my ass.”

A guy hears a noise outside at his shed. He looks out the window and sees a burglar trying to break into the shed. He quickly calls 000 and explains the situation. The operator says "Sorry sir, we have no resources to send." The guy looks out again, and says, "You have to come. He's stealing my mower." The operator again says," I told you sir, we have no resources to send." Then the guy says, "Oh, don't worry about it, I just shot the twat. He's dead on the lawn.' Within five minutes, there were two helicopters, six police cars and fourteen police swarming around his house. There was no body on the lawn. The police said, "Sir, you lied to us. You didn't shoot anyone." The guy said, "You started it by saying you had no resources."

I know the feeling. Arthritis in the knees means normal knee propulsion to get up off the ground is long gone. I end up like a beetle on my back, then have to roll over on all fours and get up that way.

That's absolute rubbish. The ABC is far less biased than any other news service in Australia. It's widely recognised that Sky News or whatever they call themselves now are among the most biased. So surely Hanson refused entry to them too? The reason Hanson doesn't want the ABC around is because they ask difficult questions. Guess what? That's their job. They do it to all sides of politics. And as a politician, if you haven't got answers to difficult questions, then what are you doing there? As a reporter said this morning, it's dangerous for democracy when politicians exclude segments of the media from their announcements. Look how many criminal investigations leading to charges have been initiated by investigative journalism, especially by the ABC. Without proper media scrutiny, corruption flourishes.

You might have heard about USA's critical shortage of Air Traffic Controllers. Fret not, the problem is solved. (Air traffic controllers who are easily bored and seek instant gratification, and have a game over - restart button, yeah that'll work.)

Yes they are. That would provide perhaps 10% of what they need, same as Australia.

You would have thought these countries would be perfect fits for solar + batteries?

"roads were made for horse and cart, but now you want to ditch them for these newfangled automobiles... It'll never work..."

Logic dictates that we should move with the times. A long time ago, burning coal was a great step forward. Times change and new less toxic methods of making energy are developed. No need to stay locked into the old era of the industrial revolution, powered by burning fossil fuels. Every system has its drawbacks, and its solutions. Let go of the old. Move on.

IF Nuclear is so good More of it would be being ordered. It NEEDS lots of Water and with the Climate changing that water cannot be guaranteed. Things that Need cooling are adding heat to the equation. The heat energy that solar uses comes here anyhow reliably,safely and free.. OF all Places on earth, Australia Has to be one of the best Places for it. Nev

We used to have empires, run by emporers. Then we had kingdoms, run by kings. Now we just have countries, .........

He can have the Largest most Gaudy Cript and Buildings and airports etc named after him. He's doing that Now. He wants to be remembered " More than any person in History". See HE has this Superiority Complex and Giant EGO problem. He WILL be remembered but not the way HE wishes. Nev

I helped a friend pull the engine out of his car yesterday. The problem for both of us was getting up again after we got down underneath to undo bolts.

Annoying, isn't it!

Yeah but then has to pay them $130k to keep it quiet. Guess they don't call it the "money shot" for nothing.

I don't think HE gets too Near HIS missus..Nev

He seems to come across a lot of them..

The walk from my house to the pub is 5 minutes. The walk back, however, is 30 minutes. The difference is staggering!

My favorite colour is purple. I like it better than red and blue combined.

Nothing wrong with that. Understood it perfectly. I am sure it was written by my brother

You may of heard of the use of the word 'precedent', meaning "thing or person that goes before another". Specifically in law, "a judicial decision which serves as a rule for future determinations in similar or analogous cases". Another example would be in the description of the Wright Brothers' 1903 flight. When that flight took place there was no precedent they could rely on to suggest that the combination of factors that lead to the success of that flight would be successful. Therefore the succes of that flight was unprecedented. To figure out what 'unprecedented' means you have to have a look at its etymology. early 15c., preceden, "lead the way; occur or exist before, go before in order of time," from Old French preceder and directly from Latin praecedere "to go before," from prae "before" (see pre-) + cedere "to go". From an examination of the frequency of use of the terms 'precedent' and 'unprecedented' you can agree that it has become a buzzword. Buzzword: also buzz word, 1946, from buzz (n.) + word (n.). Noted as Harvard student slang for the key words in a lecture or reading. Note its level of useage:

Back when folks were worried about pollution and water shortages, US coal and nuclear power companies toyed with air cooling instead of water cooling. The use of air reduced the power station outputs. Especially during heat waves. The idea was largely ditched due to that loss of efficiency. Same here in Australia. Although, more recently, Kogan Creek thermal power station uses air cooling. Water is not plentiful out west.

Clutching at straws? The issue is with Nuclear,in Europe needing water to cool. So does Coal but not as much.The Failure of Fukashima set japan back years in Lost Production and model updates. Nev.

They are talking dry cooling thermal plants now if they are away from the sea. Little bit less efficient but who cares in a nuclear plant as the fuel is so cheap/MWh. Fossil fuels are unreliable because they have been demonised and maintenance is deferred. (maybe fairly) Not many wars happening in Australia.

I would think that the middle east power station planners might be a little concerned about their unstable warring situation. It's bad enough to hear about bombing of civilian infrastructure, but there is a big difference between a big crater, and a big crater that used to be a nuclear power station.

Don't forget how long it takes to construct a power plant of any type. Those plants operating and the ones coming on line were designed an construction commenced before the explosion in solar panel technology that has happened in the past decade. Is it any wonder that they haven't switched over. Economics lags behind the technology.

And there's more.... But we are now replacing with a much more abundant supply where technology is allowing the dense storage of that fuel. That is because Germany shut a significant chunk of its energy generation capacity sans transitioning out. That is going to create a gap. Other countries, such as the UK effed up their markets politically, not because of renewables. Today the UK produces enough from wind alone to power the country.. Australia, using solar is now producing an excess supply so it is giving it away... It's not the fuels for generation - it is how it is managed.

The middle east runs on oil they pump from the ground. However, they are looking to nuclear for the future. Iran has the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant: this plant has one operational reactor and provides around 2% of the country's electricity. It was completed in 2011 and is part of Iran's extensive nuclear program (!) Barakah Nuclear Power Plant: Situated in the UAE, this plant consists of four reactors and is expected to add two more. It generates about 25% of the UAE's domestic energy needs. Egypt's El Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant: This facility is nearing completion and will have a total installed capacity of 4,800 megawatts. It is part of Egypt's comprehensive energy strategy and aims to provide clean electricity for sale abroad.

That really is clutching at straws - or pearls... Nuclear power stations close down for refuelling, too... Was 30 days per shutdown when I was in the game. I know, because our software saved a whole 2 days per shutdown. Which was a big deal and saved a couple of million per shut down.

Energy industry is not a level playing field. Just look at the financial assistance we taxpayers presently give to the coal industry. It would be fair play if our governments (all brands) simply stopped subsidising coal. But failing that, alternatives need some subsidy to level the financial playing field. I asked A.I. and this is what it said about subsidies: "Yes, coal mining in Australia receives government subsidies, with federal and state assistance totaling $16.3 billion in 2025–26,......"

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa! I didn't record the various sources that I found when I was researching the question, so I can't post them here. Needless to say that I did find the references in order to satisfy my curiosity. The following is an extract from this Wikipedia entry summarises what I found. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_Valley_cannabis_infestation Cannabis sativa seeds first arrived in Australia in 1788 on the First Fleet at the request of Sir Joseph Banks. The blueprint for the New South Wales colony, approved by the British Cabinet in 1786, envisaged Australia as a commercial colony producing hemp. The blueprint for the New South Wales colony was created for the British parliament in 1786. Banks provided a supply of seed. However, the British were too optomistic about the rate of establishment ot teh colony which would have failed due to starvation had Governor Phillip not done all he could to keep everyone alive, but on meagre rations until replenishment occured. Settle yourself down and watch this video which will enlighten you as to the first ten years of the colony. The video is an Australian prodcution aand one of a series dealing with early British colonisation of Australia.

Added thought- If the charge controller does not have a Black wire, check continuity between the metal body of the charge controller and the chassis. It relies on mounting bolt/s to provide reference ground to the regulator. A bit of corrosion under there will cause your problem. Unbolt, clean metal to metal contact, and try again.

Most of the ABC visible operative and Management are Ex Murdoch employees. Even the CEO and Speers, PK etc They frequently give Libs/Nats a very easy Interview while Talking Over and Interrupting the Labor Ministers to provoke a Headllne. I can hardly bring Myself to watch "Insiders", these days. The others are sacking staff Hand over foot. SKY has Changed it's name to News 24. Strangely Similar to ABC News 24.. Nev

I saw an interview with Penny Wong a few months ago on insiders. The first 5 mins was just having pot shots at the opposition. As well as being kept on subject by the interviewer the opposition gets the "I don't believe you" lines chucked in during the interviews. Murdoch has nothing to do with this. Everyone knows they are biased. The ABC is paid for by the taxpayer and should treat all sides of government the same. No Brainer really. The left leaning think they are the best things out. I have people in my direct family that think the same. They don't appreciate it being bought to their attention. Just so you know, the last time I can remember voting for a major party at the top of the voting slip was when Howard bought in the gst and I did not support that. None have earnt my vote towards the top of the voting slip since.

Unlikely? Nev

If there is no change at the mid terms then that is an indictment on how misinformed and stupid the American public has become.

The original Intoxicated Persons Act 1979 in NSW has been repealed. Police powers to detain and care for intoxicated people in public places are now governed by Section 206 of the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act 2002 (LEPRA). Under this law, officers can detain a drunk person in public if they are disorderly, at risk of injury or damage, or need physical protection. However, there is no offence. The detention is meant to be a means of protecting the intoxicated person. Such a person could be taken to a police station and held until sober then released. They could be taken to a hospital, but hospitals never had the staff or facilities to care for drunks. In a small town, or if the person lived near, they could be taken home and handed into the care of a responsible adult.

Doesn't the MANNER He's made himself and his Mates RICH Lie at the core of the Problem. The World is not blind to his antics and How the USA's reputation as a trusted ally and trading partner HAS massively suffered.. Nobody can afford to TRUST him. ( even those who work for him). Nev

What happened to those original hemp attempts? I don't remember any mention of it when we were at school And I don't know what invoked 'Underscore'.

A little update on this topic from some further research. I said that one reason for the colony was to provide a base from which to establish on Norfolk Island for access to those tall pines for masts and the flax for sail canvas. Wood and fabric were not the constraints on both the naval and mercantile fleets of Britain. It was the amount of rope needed to operate the sails. A Man-o-War could require 80 tons (yes old measure) of rope in its rigging. Britain was getting most of this from Russia, but in the early 1780s, Catherine the Great of Russia began limiting trade in hemp with Britain. At this time Russia was starting to expand its territory and Britain was an obvious competitor. When plans were being made to establish a presence in Australia, the growing of hemp for rope-making was high on the agenda. Sir Joseph Banks supported this plan and supplied hemp seed as part of the agricultural supplies sent with the Fleet. Hemp was most likely planted by settlers William and Archibald Bell in 1823. The hemp cultivation was part of Australia's early colonial economy, as Cannabis sativa seeds first arrived in Australia in 1788 on the First Fleet at the request of Sir Joseph Banks, with the British envisioning Australia as a commercial hemp-producing colony.

Read up on the Tesla electric conversion kit - when fitted to old series Landrovers. No problem with getting enough torque to climb serious 4wd stuff.

Here is a bit of red tape that is hard to understand the reasoning for. This came to my attention in a conversation with my son when we were visiting him in NZ. There are some either new rules or old rules now being enforced regarding passports that seem absolutely crazy to me. So my wife and I are Australian citizens, but by virtue of the fact we were both born in the UK we retain British citizenship. This now means that if we were to travel to the UK the UK government now requires that we have British passports. UK passport changes leave Australians with dual citizenship scrambling before border rules kick in That is inconvenient enough, but it gets worse for my son. My son was born in Australia, but by virtue of the fact that both his parents are British citizens, he also is considered to be a British citizen. My son moved permanently to NZ and is a citizen of NZ. The rules that apply to travelling into the UK also apply to travelling into Australia. This means that if my son were to travel to the UK via a stopover in Australia, he would need an Australian passport (because he retains Aus citizenship), a British passport because he retains British citizenship, and to get back home to NZ he needs an NZ passport. Here is an AI summary of the situation: "Because you and his other parent were Australian citizens at the time of his birth, your son is automatically an Australian citizen by birth. Since he also holds British citizenship (from you) and New Zealand citizenship (by naturalisation), he is a triple citizen. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] This status changes the passport requirements for his travels: Document Requirements by Destination Traveling to Australia: He must enter on an Australian passport. The Australian Government requires all citizens to enter and leave the country using an Australian passport. He cannot use his New Zealand passport to get a Special Category Visa anymore, as visas cannot be granted to people who already hold Australian citizenship. [] Traveling to Britain: He must enter on a British passport. As a British citizen, he cannot use an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or a foreign passport alone to clear UK border control. [1, 2, 3, 4] Traveling back to New Zealand: He must use his New Zealand passport to seamlessly re-enter his home country."

Can we have some video of OME leaping like a gazelle?

I never knew they had gazelles in Scotland until now.

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic??????

Rejoice rejoice. Step 1 of saving our state. Most corrupt government in our history.

He's a genius who knows how to work the system, gotta give him that ... however I would discourage him from attempting to colonize Mars, that's a bit ambitious. He needs to sort out his driverless Teslas first, here on Earth.