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On a positive note, yesterday's election results showed that democracy is not completely dead in the US and that the electoral system works despite huge sums of money being spent and plenty of vicious politicking. That's encouraging. Even so, a lot of the vote was a widespread vote against Trump rather than a vote for the Democrats, even by the democrats themselves. But at least now there's an opportunity to stop the ship from sinking totally. It's going to be a hard road to get things back on track and sort out the many problems, so I hope the new Congress and Senate can show a bit of leadership. They've got three months to get themselves organised, set a sensible and balanced agenda and then implement it. Hopefully the cooler heads can keep things on track and the hotheads under control. There's plenty of potential for it all to come unstuck, but at least they're off to a good start.

Closing the Southern border may have been a success but Trumps reliance on ICE which appears to be run as a total authoritarian outfit by its hierarchy has completely backfired. The only other thing he has been successful at it enriching himself and his family and lowering taxes for all of his billionaire cronies.

See! We ARE multicultural!

My unexpert summary is this:- Although we wish that the government can control the big economic picture, they really can't. With the unlikely exception of major politico/economic suicide. Mostly our economy is largely influenced by the world economy, of which we are a minor part. All we can do is tinker around the edges with details. I don't see the complainers coming up with examples of great ways to 'fix' the perceived problems. Just saying 'chuck em out!' is not an answer.

A couple of weeks ago there was a heat wave in NSW and due to various factors including coal generators outages due to breakdowns and maintenance, the spot price soared to over $2,000.00 a MW. As a VPP my system immediately began to sell power to the grid. It see sawed rapidly for an hour or 2 due to this occuring from numerous battery systems doing the same thing. Anyway I ended up with a credit of $65.00 over the 2 hours & my monthly bill just received is now in credit foe $70.00. This includes charging my EV once or twice a week.

Just another grasp at straws to try and discredit renewables

He kept saying "Imagine I'm on the ballot." America did, and said "Up yours."

Trump can VETO everything and probably will. What a silly system they have there. Republicans will ARC up too. There's too much Power to a President. SCARY. Nev

Live a lot better, obviously. WAR is MADNESS. Nev

According to Google, at the moment, from public records, the government is currently committed to around $2bn in spend under AUKUS. Of course, this is from what information is available publicly. But, these contracts will have escape clauses just like that of the French - especially since the US and the UK are under no obligation to deliver anything.. So, yes, it is likely we will lose some as we did with cancelling the French contract.. some $3.5bn in the end.. But even if we are on the hooks for say $10bn, it is still < 3% of the total budget of the program, so I would be happy t cut that cheque to be rid of it. And yes, I still pay tax in Australia.. The last guy setting it up excuses the cost of abandoning it; it doesn't excuse the continual accrual of a white elephant of a project to Australia committing that much money to it. Remember c. $5bn is allocated to uplift US shipbuilding capacity

Aussie F1 legend Alan Jones passes away aged 80.

Which needs to be ditched. Independent review (because the government wouldn't do it) has absolutely slammed it. We need some courage from Albo and the cabinet now.

No tax on tips and overtime expire in December2028 but tax breaks for the rich don't expire. That's not good. Finding waste and fraud in government is a perennial aim of all parties but DOGE was a complete financial and moral failure. What he wanted tariffs to do was punish countries he thought were taking advantage of the USA because he didn't understand how trade worked. By nature, he's pathologically opposed to cooperation for mutual gain.

The only good thing I think Trump has done is stop uncontrolled migration across the border. Everything else has been a disaster for the country and the world.

Our OP Shop has to give an annual report to NSW Fair Trading. It has to be done online, and the required fee paid with plastic. Here's the gripe: The payment of teh fee can be done by credit card. It can also be paid using a debit card, provided it is a Visa debit card. The Op Shop banks with the only bank in town - Bendigo Bank, which is not tied in with Visa. A physical debit card works well for the shop since it can't be used for fraud by anyone associated with the shop. The payment of the annual fee to Fair Trading is the only payment that would require the use of a credit card. The annual fees for a credit card would exceed the fee to Fair Trading. So, in order to pay the fee, one of the members who has a credit card has to be with the Treasurer at the computer in the person's home ( we don't have in the shop because we don't need one) so that person's card can be used and then the Treasurer has to reimburse the person. The job gets done, but how inconvenient? The coming problem for a lot of people is that Banks will not issue personal credit cards to pensioners, but will issue debit cards. It seems that the officials at Treasury, who are in employment so can get a credit card, are not aware of this problem and blithely introduce payment systems that are impossible for amny people to use.

Here is an example of a good use for ChatGPT, and I suppose Calude and the others.

Jeez, that's a long game! 😁

Lst night I watched an astonishing light show in the clouds. Usually one gets intermittent lightning flashes, but this storm light show was just like New Year's fireworks. The storm was way off in the distance, but I did get about 12mm of rain in a couple of very heavy showers. However, this is a storm that moved over tjhe NSW Southern Highlands yesterday.

I agree with your skepicism. Sure, it's still early days. But so far the returns don't seem to be ramping up in proportion to the collective $billions being 'invested' in data centres and A.I.

I'm happy to use non-fossil electricity. Presently expecting a $200 credit for this quarter. That projects to a break even at about 6 years, but considerably sooner after we get a new EV to use the excess that presently only goes out to the grid at 8c/Kwh.

It is a shame that Sir Patrick's memory is being hung on only one of his roles. Why Sir Patrick? He was knighted in 2007 for his services to drama. He had a long career as a Shakesperian actor. Also, one of his movie roles was in the X-Men franchise. The movie role I remember is as King Richard in Mel Brooke's Robin Hood - Men in Tights. He also was held in high esteem for his series of readings of Shakspeare's Sonnets during the COVID lockdown.

My opinioon, from my experience, but not in road construction, is that it is the geology that makes constructing roads for heavy weights the problem. Over nearly all of the continent, the ground is sedimentary material. Very few places have the surface close to bedrock. That results in great difficulty building a sound base layer upon whihc to build a road. Also, the way we seal the surface of our roads is a compromise between cost and results. That's why we have our roads sealed with bitumen sprayed over gravel. Where the roads are made opf concrete, the failure rate os a lot less, but the cost per kilometre is much more.

Jerry, don't forget to take into account that it doesn't matter how big, long or how much weight a truck carries, it's the axle weights that mainly impact the roads, ie: the ground pressure. A tandem axle grouping on a B-Double carries no more weight than the tandem axle grouping on a heavy rigid class truck like the bogey drive tip trucks we see everywhere.

They upped the Max Weight of them some years ago, and I blame that for a lot of the Problems. Nev

A polite name for a fart.

We still have AAA rating , which Murdochs Minions will never Mention. That affects the rate of Interest the Gov't Pays on borrowngs. The big debt was for AUKUS which Sco-Mo got us into. Nev

The thing Australians call a split pin was patented in the USA in 1925. https://patents.google.com/patent/US7413391B2/en This patent seems to be for an upgrade of pre-existing similar items. An earlier patent was granted in in the USA in 1902, and that item is of cruder design. https://patents.google.com/patent/US691730A/en 1902 version 1925 version There have been a number of later patents issued for amendments to this design, but these have been minor tweeks. The wedge-shaped piece or bolt that is/was used to fasten a pedal crank on a bicycle is known from the 1640s The word is of uncertain origin, perhaps a shortened form of cotterel, a dialectal word for "cotter pin or bolt, bracket to hang a pot over a fire" (1560s), itself of uncertain origin. Cotter-pin is attested by 1849. It would seem that the Australian term for the item provides a better description of how the pin is used and effectively differentiates it from the bolt-like thing.

Tocumwal is a great destination for a flying coffee.

That's why we don't have them. We don't manufacture anything that the majority of consumers want.

I didnt know they finished after Trumps term...the Dems will for sure put it all back on again as they are spendriffs the same as Labor here. The Dems give money away to all sorts of worthy causes like Trans education in Somalia or other ridiculous things Well if thats true then why is austrlia hit with tarriffs from the EU and many other countries despite us not charging them tarriffs..sort of a oxymoron there dont you think? We dont charge tarriffs on the incomming here although the USA thinks the GST is a tarriff but then again you have to remember they have always thought of themselves as the centre of the universe. European Union There is no FTA in force yet (negotiations concluded in March 2026, but the deal is still going through domestic ratification processes in Australia and the EU). As a result, many Australian agricultural products (especially beef, dairy, grains and some processed foods) face relatively high EU Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) tariffs or restrictive tariff-rate quotas. And there are many others China Most goods enter at zero or low rates under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) and RCEP. However, China currently applies a 55% additional safeguard tariff on Australian beef that exceeds the annual country-specific quota (around 205,000 tonnes). The quota was filled in mid-June 2026, so the higher rate has applied for the rest of the year. It resets at the start of each calendar year.⁠ We dont charge them anything for their goods no matter what it is...is this fair? No different here with the tax on the rich..they system is designed so that a lot escape them. Companies like Apple whose offices are based overseas for tax purposes..I think theirs is in Ireland and so are a lot of others. Heaps rag on Gina Rhinehart but she and her companies pay her taxes at the correct rates Hancock Prospecting (Gina Rinehart’s main company) paid about $2.3 billion in Commonwealth and state taxes for the financial year ended 30 June 2026.⁠Hancockprospecting This figure comes from the company’s 2026 annual report and media release (around 31 October 2026). Key details include Net profit after tax of $2.8 billion. Total comprehensive income of $5.2 billion (including investment portfolio gains). Over the past decade, Hancock’s total federal and state tax contributions reached $24.5 billion (plus additional taxes via employee salaries). The core mining division, Hancock Iron Ore, accounted for roughly $1.59 billion of that (corporate tax, iron ore royalties, state payroll taxes, and Native Title contributions). The remaining ~$710 million related to other interests. Apple Australia (primarily Apple Pty Ltd) paid approximately $188–200 million in corporate income tax to the ATO in the most recent reported period. Apples income for last year was about 13.1 BILLION dollars where Hancock prospecting was only 5.2 Billion

Cotter pins are used to hold the carnk to the crank shaft on bicycles. Generally old ones, newer are different.

Its no different for the Dems..they also have a lot of dirty deeds to hide...they are all tarred with the same brush except some are outright dangerous in their ethos and thinking. I think Trump has done a lot of good things but he also is a narcisist and cant control himself certainly at times. He is one of those guys that wants to come into a situation then blow it up and see what happens then make his decisions. I just think the whole country over is rooted. It has way too many religous nutbags way too many gun crazed nutjobs...Its a interesting place to visit but I would certainly never want to live there. The problem is when the uSA sneezes the whole world gets a cold..this is the major concern I have. We have enough issues here with th left tards now. Our country is going down the shit chute as well. I just pity my grandkids that they didnt have a chance to grow up in the world that I did. I think we are probably too far gone now and it will take long after I am dead to even try to fix it. The problem is the younger generations do not know any bettwe with the failed education system we have now and the socialists have been pretty successfull in filtering into our society. I just hope I dont live long enough to see the Australia peso as our currency because its well on its way

Yes. You can still get solder with tin concentrations between 5% and 70% by weight. The European Union Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive and Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive were adopted in early 2003 and came into effect on July 1, 2006, restricting the inclusion of lead in most consumer electronics sold in the EU, and having a broad effect on consumer electronics sold worldwide. In the US, manufacturers may receive tax benefits by reducing the use of lead-based solder. Etymology The word solder comes from the Middle English word soudur, via Old French solduree and soulder, from the Latin solidare, meaning "to make solid".

It is ironic that discussing politics should not be a taboo activity. I will admit that one has to be very, very diplomatic when discussing the topic with a person you sense has differing views.

I've just listened to a piano piece written to be played with the left hand only. It was sinister.

There will be huge losses from the AI ponzi scheme. This is probably the start.

History repeats itself???? The Wall Street Crash of 1929 occurred from October 24 to October 29, 1929. The same week in October, ninety-eight years later, Wall Street suffered a big drop due to off-selling of stocks related to AI businesses.

Somewhat connected to this thread, although it relates to many more than just Albo. Our corruption rating has dipped slightly lately. So much for transparency and a proper Anti Corruption watchdog (we only got a toothless watch-puppy) https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2025

Probably because Star Trek: the next generation had 178 episodes spanning 1987 - 1994. Plus 4 movies with the same cast, with the latest in 2002. For us Gen X's that's a big chunk of our teens and early adulthood.

Individual wind generators are shut down when there's no way to use the Power they would generate. It's no big deal. There are times of the day when you can get power from the Grid for No cost. Nev

AEMO bring assets online and take them offline regularly as part of their management job. Can't use that as valid complaint against any particular generator. Each generation class has it's own profile and gets used according to that, combined with grid requirements. So, the system works. And?

Brendan, this is what you need: https://www.ustraveldocs.com/au/en/immigrant-visa

When I go into Melbourne the Large Number of Giant trucks is what I notice most. Upping the Allowed weight of them wouldn't help road surfaces, particularly when there is a Lot of rain. Once water gets under a road it's stuffed. Nev

Should answer your question.. My comparison with SFM is tp show he ain't worse (nor better) than the next one. Am I accepting it? In so much as there isn't anyone too much better to lead at the moment, IMHO. It's not great for me to admit it, but, as you say because of a lack of quality political leaders, is a sad state of affairs and cutting one's nose off to spite their face seems counterproductive given the benefit the change has already had. In terms of picking and choosing promises - I am not sure what you're referring to; all I did was regurgitate stats and I did qualify by saying by itself is not a good comparator. It is meant to be illustrative to Brenden mostly that not only Albo lies. I have to admit, I don't quite understand this comment.. Who was referring to the last government. Didn't Albo take action to stabilise (and return to normal levels) the housing market.. for now and in the future? What have I missed. Yep, he did like - well I believe he did.. And yes, he is paying for it politically at the moment. He timed it so (for him) the correction was swift and more people could afford homes and by the time the next election came around they would be thanking him in the ballot box resulting in a notching up of the price so those affected by the price correction could see the upside. I have to admit, he is not the master of political timing and trying it when there were geopolitical tensions that were likely to spill over and result in a global fuel price shock was not the smartest thing to do, politically. Is that the best you can do. Let me stoop to your level.. if you think the others are better, then your head is firmly wedged in a place where your torso has to form a semi-circle to get your head to. Quite, tightly wedged, too.. And part of my job is to research economies and economic performance. So, here is a graph for you.. It's the 10 year Aussie Federal Government Bond Futures Index: What it is saying is that basically, that 10 year bonds issued by the Federal government are likely to increase in price, meaning a lower yield (interest rate). This is the Standard & Poors index, which is an industry benchmark: https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/indices/fixed-income/sp-asx-australian-10-year-treasury-bond-futures-index/#overview In other words, a lot of highly qualified people who are much better than your and I put together at assessing current and likely future economic performance are putting bets on Australia as they think the current government and the RBA are doing a pretty good job managing the finances and economy. These are futures contracts rather than the bonds themselves and they represent an agreement to deliver a certain number of 10 year Aussie bonds for the stated price at the maturity of the futures contract. These are exchange traded and there is a very liquid market in 10 year Aussie bond futures. The markets are effectively saying, at the moment, we think the cost of borrowing for Australia will come down. That will be predicated by good economic management; otherwise, the riskier the loan, the more interest you will pay. The fixed income market (bonds) is the canary in the coal mine of economic performance- it responds much earlier to economic activity than the stock markets. And the futures market is the early warning system of that canary. At the moment, Australia is looking very good, indeed. Sorry to rain on your parade. Ironically, you may want to bet against the Aussie dollar because as the price rises, the yield drops and investors will look for better returns.. However, the RBA always intervenes to ensure Australia remains competitive in the investor market. What would happen to the curve if any of the others got in? The reality is I don't know. But, as the election gets closer, we should take a look at the curve against who is the favourites and see what it has to show us. Just remember that.. the people who are risking large sums of their money (for many, their livelihoods) are banking on the Australian government and RBA doing a good job managing the economy. Futures are a zero sum game; you bet the wrong way, and you lose it all; they're not like equities where unless the company goes broke, you can extract some value from each share you hold. And, it's not the only thing we could use to measure performance, but it is a good first cut.

I love old industrial machinery. Today I picked up this old J.S. Richardson drill on marketplace and couldn't resist it for $50. There's way more value than that in the steel, electric motor and other components. Good old drills, made in Sydney in the days when we manufactured stuff and employed Australians. At some stage in it's career it's been converted from a pedestal drill to a wall mount. I already have a big industrial grade pedestal drill, so my first thought with this is to mount it like the second photo I've edited with a flip-around and a cutout. In other words, use the wall mounting plate as a base stand and do a bit of sideways stuff with it. I'll have a good look in the morning and check how that will fit with the gearbox oil level/ fill and drain plugs etc. in that orientation.

This may well have been posted before.. But in case

I contest number 1. "Cunth" rhymes perfectly with "month". It's what you call a couple of thugs that have just knocked your teeth out.

That sounds like a good way to do it. I'm only just starting to get bills again. With my low power useage and all the post covid state and federal subsidies that we were recieving, I was in credit for a long time. I don't think I paid a bill for a couple of years or more, so just getting used to it again.