nomadpete

Look on the bright side.... With a project like this you won't have time to waste scrolling through ads for stuff you don't need....

Looks like a squashed air filter element off my tractor.

That's interesting. I have left oily sawdust on my old chainsaw for years without seeing any corrosion when I eventually cleaned it up with degreaser. I cut gum and wattle. What timber did you cut? I have seen aluminium disappear when left in contact with damp concrete but never when exposed to oily wood.

Wille, are you suggesting that plywood is a diesel intensive product?

Throught my life I have seldom carried much cash. Even in the dark ages when I was paid my wage by an envelope of real money. Admittedly when out west for a project, I started out with about a hundred for expenses. But to this day, I carry a fiver in my wallet, and in the glove box there is six or eight dollars in coins, to pay for our local farmgate eggs, and mens shed tea donation.

A flow on effect of bottomless government subsidisation of an industry. I heard that the Chinese state subsidised the EV manufacturers ti the tune of $350 billion in an attempt to control the world market and squash the competition. They are still learning how capitalism works. And are not very good at it. On the other hand, we see the US situation where uncontrolled capitalism has destroyed their car manufacturing industry. Both sides would do well to closely study themselves and their competitors. Maybe reread The Art of War, and learn some history?

Wille, I think you might need a skip tooth chain for your chainsaw. I believe a standard chain get bogged down when cutting slabs. I have no experience but the seller of the jig I was going to buy, recommend it. https://www.chainsawspares.com.au/

The reason for that comes down to the lobby business. Policy by any party is dictated by the big lobbyists. That explains the disconnect between government and the electorate. Government is connected to its (lobby) benefactors.

How can we turn this ship around?

That aligns with what I saw of the aboriginal cultural norm, especially in outlying communities. Yuendumu is a glaring example, and as far as I can see, hasn't improved. After reading about the Yuendumu doors (art) from lare 1980's, I visited it in 2000 and 2023. Always a dreadful place.

EVERY community that I stayed in, had that cycle. We knew that two days of the fortnight were particularly dangerous. Social security day and the day after. Furthermore, there was rampant fights halfway through the cycle - failing to pay debts owing to fellow aboriginals who ran exorbitant priced black market grog sales to people who spent their sit down money the first week and drank the lot. A mid cycle carton of beer often sold at mates rates credit for triple the shop price. Rorting was even rife in some 'dry' communities.

Happy Equinox everybody. I hope we get spring soon. The spring aint sprung down here. Yesterday Hobart's Mt Wellington registered 57kts gusts. For the past fortnight we have had a rapid succession of fronts move through. Every day we get multiple gale warnings - then rain, snow, hail, and tantalising moments of sunshine. Sometimes all at once. Our forest trees are getting weary from constant dancing. I truly hope this isn't the new normal. Roll on spring.

Therein lies the rub. In matters where there is physical evidence to be studied, that process works fine. But when it comes to recording the minutinae of a bunch of cultures that have no written records to forensically study, I fail to fully trust western experts. Their versions can only be verified by "yeah, I heard that story, too, so it must be true". Their expert status is primarily labelled as credible by even less knowledgable western people. For me, my grandmother taught me a great respect for the undocumented depth of knowledge that had enabled those peoples to adapt and survive in this country. Not so much respect for some of their morals, but hey, it was a tough life before white fellas came along with their easy tucker and strange laws.

My grandmother was raised by a aboriginal nanny. From early childhood, she spent a lot of time with a north Qld mob. To the opint where her daughter (my mother) was also reintroduced to that nanny and the mob. In my mothers recollection it was a great reunion, which shows that it was not some momentary passing connection. My grandmother told me many interesting things that she learned (alongside the other picaninnies). Detail about identifying star groups to navigate, or counting methods or bush remedies,etc. No mention about smoking ceremonies, even when she was present for meetings with other mobs. That isn't proof either way. Basically I challenge academia and their expert peer review process. They cannot crosscheck any verified history of the indigenous cultures. Because unlike most other cultures, there is no written history upon which to base provable conclusions. Very little verifiable proof of such things as smoking ceremonies etc, could exist in archaeological records. There are only the stories passed down through generations. Just because you hear a story more than once, doesn't prove the story. Just like my recollections. And my grandmother's stories only relate to one particular mob from one particular place anyway. My personal experiences only relate to relatively recent times, over maybe 1/4 of Aust. I have known some lovely folk. The culture of today sure isn't the same culture that enabled the aborigines to survive 50,000 years in a hostile land. And it isn't a culture that does too well in the present, either.

Gents, I have already said that the 'ceremony' or the rather commercialised performance of it, is not of itself a big issue to me. Drilling down deeper into this and similar debates, I suspect the real differences of opinion stem from the issue of whether one relies on what they read (research) or on what they know from personal experience. In my case my grandparents and my own experience gained from actual time spent with various aboriginal groups, leads me to differ greatly from the beliefs of those whose opinions are gained from reading relativey recent texts about the people, their culture, from self appointed experts. For instance, how could anthropoligists prove (for instance) that smoking ceremonies or other cultural activities, were existing for any period when there were no records kept by the protagonists? The only alleged evidence is stories passed down by grandad. That is not proof. Again I am not particularly denigrating the actual smoking ceremony, which may or may not have mattered to some folk a hundred years ago. Rather the ease with which some are bringing unsubstantiated stuff From past folk stories into modern society.

By what measure does anyone 'know' it does this? I suspect it is just a hopeful guess by all in favor of it. I call it window dressing. At the end of the day, it achieves nothing toward improving the health, education, culture, or wellbeing of the most disadvantaged people. Thatu is my real gripe.

Octave, I am not picking on just one of the many annoying ceremonial procedures that waste our time. As you point out, it's not hard to disregard a relatively brief smoking ceremony. There are many other such unavoidable annoying things in our society. Individually they are inconsequential.

So its all about money, not about honor.

Personally, if the shoe was on the other foot, and I was a member of a marginalised minority being 'recognised' in this way, I would be insulted. I would see it as a vacuous mockery. But that's just how it would affect me. Maybe the aboriginals get a warm reconciled feeling from it. More likely, they are rolling on the floor laughing about it.

I cannot see how that is.

Maybe. I might be wrong, but at least in the past the ATSIC was exempt from audit and any scrutiny.

Do you really believe that a paid performer acting out a smoking ceremony in a football field, creates 'social credibility' for a football game?

Maybe he has a benevolent helicopter pilot who has offered vital organs for transplant?

That's great, Jerry. So tell us..... Have you booked your tickets yet? I'll need a bit of notice to arrange the welcome home party.

Aaaagh.... Tha laird doth work in mysterious ways indeed.