kgwilson

Now you would be accused of Child abuse or bestiality. That's a good enough reason to keep well away from both.

Humans have become soft and reliant on electricity and fossil fuels to get through winters. We always managed to survive before these things were available but there were also a lot fewer of us. The elderly, infirm and the young are always the victims. Most European houses are far better insulated that ours in Australia but then their Winters are very much harsher. The ability to adapt is the key and to look after those who are vulnerable. I think the problem lies in the change in human culture where many people live their own lives with little socialisation and don't or won't ask for help or the system they live under fails them or there is no social security at all. The Ukrainians are meeting the problem with what now is proving to be their ever increasing tenacity. They are evacuating people from areas where the risk is highest and diverting timber that would have been exported to be made available as firewood as another measure to keep going. In some interviews they will complain of the lack of power and destruction of infrastructure while remaining totally defiant & saying they don't care what the Russians do they will never win. This attitude was the same during WW2 here when most people did whatever they were capable of to help the war effort. Little things like knitting socks or whatever and it made a difference. I wonder if we would do the same today?

Ukraine continues to win on the battlefield. Putin continues to try to break their will by destroying civilian infrastructure. The EU just passed a resolution declaring Russia a terrorist state. The UN General Assembly has demanded an unconditional withdrawl by Russia from Ukraine. Only Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Syria & Russia voted against the UN declaration. the G20 leaders have denounced Russias aggression in Ukraine. Putin is now more paranoid than ever fearing for his life from his own henchmen. Russia is running out of missiles and the army hasn't the will or the training to fight. Ukraine is telling people in the East to get out for their own survival this Winter, a smart move. It does not look like the West will stop the supply of weaponry so if there is a lull over the Winter there will be a major Spring offensive which I reckon will result in Putins demise, Ukraine regaining all of its territory inclusive of Crimea and a peace deal that will require major reparations from Russia.

Trump should already be in jail but the US justice system is so slow and he appeals everything without any real just cause, he may die of old age before there are any convictions.

I saw a few clips of these being laid with a hiab off a truck so they can't be that heavy so maybe a couple of tons at most. Basically they are useless and just define a line. Any half decent bulldozer would clear them away in minutes. The only reason I can think for laying them is propaganda so Putin can say look at our defence lines. He is losing on the military front so they have to be defence lines.

There are lemons with every brand and model. Toyota have a reputation for the most reliable of all. I have owned a number of Toyotas but my 91 Camry station wagon was a lemon. The engine management system had an intermittent fault & got fixed several times & kept failing. Even the replacement wasn't right. The auto transmission died as well as a number of other more minor things. never had any issues with my 84 Corona or 2006 HiLux.

It looks too perfect to be real.

The US justice system moves at super slow glacial pace. Almost everything seems to be able to be appealed even subpoenas. Trump just gets new lawyers. He has refused to pay some as I understand it & the ones he gets on board are as crackpot as he is. eg Rudy Giuliani and that weird woman who reckoned a dead South American politician changed the software in the vote counting machines.

That is definitely the biggest problem. Overcoming the fear of the present comfort zone we have all become used to. Anyone who has doubts will pick up on an issue that supports their fears and shout it from the rooftops. The term "Cherry picking" comes to mind. It is true than the infrastructure does not yet exist or it is inadequate. Range anxiety and charging times seem to be the biggest fears of all. These are being addressed right now as I have already pointed out with some EVs pipping the 1000km mark and 0 - 80% charge in 10 minutes or less. I will not be buying an EV until my current ICE car bought new in 2012 dies. As the price of petrol/diesel increases and the EV availability increases along with range and charging time and price decreases the change may be quicker than I originally anticipated. Whenever I get the opportunity I ask owners of EVs what they think and especially would they ditch the EV for a ICE car. The biggest whinge is initial price, the next that if they'd waited a bit they would have a lot more EV for the same money or the same for less. Not one person I have spoken to would go back to ICE citing better comfort, features, quietness, reliability, lack of maintenance requirements and especially power when needed. Hardly anyone mentioned environmental reasons. That may just be considered given. Most had some range anxiety when they first got their EV but they no longer have this problem and plan trips. Charging doesn't seem to be an issue with most owners even those with old very slow charging vehicles with small batteries. Commuting is a breeze and they plug the car in at night. About 1/2 those I've spoken to have had fast chargers installed at home. Some still have large ICE vehicles for long trips, holidays and towing boats & caravans etc but have plans to replace these long term with one of the new batch of Utes and trucks beginning to hit the market when they become available. In the city environment one of the best features I like is you only consume a small amount of power to run the aircon, radio etc when sitting in city traffic while everyone around you is churning through fuel and pumping enormous amounts of CO & CO2 and other noxious gases into the atmosphere.

Tesla built battery recycling plants into their manufacturing process but to date have not recycled any of their batteries other than damaged ones as those from old Teslas are being repurposed in buildings.

Most of those who own EVs already do this as they plug the car in when they get home. This is not a problem at present as the number of EVs is tiny compared to ICE vehicles. The issue is that the old coal fired power stations are nearing the end of their useful life and while wind and solar are beginning to make inroads there is a very long way to go. Coal fired power simply cannot be turned down much and to remain efficient must produce power continuously regardless of demand. Storage especially pumped hydro can provide a lot of off peak demand but we have done little to get this going other than the flawed Snowy 2 project. As EVs begin to become more common the charging problem will increase so good planning is essential. We are playing catch up due to the last LNP government doing virtually nothing in its 10 year stint at the helm other than being forced to make commitments they had no idea how they would be able to achieve. Across the ditch they already produce over 80% of their energy from renewables, mostly hydro which they have in abundance and an increasing geothermal industry. Their biggest problem is farting cows with a huge Dairy industry.

Zelenskyy has consistently said that Ukraine will take back ALL of Ukraines territory including the Crimean peninsular. The Winter is beginning to set in with snow falling in many parts. Ukraine needs to keep the pressure up. The only area that Russia seems to be holding the line is in Donetsk region with the Wagner group. Ukraine though keeps repelling their attacks and nothing is gained. The Ukraine 72nd brigade has some of their best and most experienced soldiers and every time the Russians gain some ground they get blasted with artillery & tanks & withdraw as they did yesterday when they advanced on the town of Pavlivka. Personally I think the next prize is Crimea & this will be the fatal blow to Putin. He is running short on long range missiles & Ukraine has already slowed access via the Kerch bridge. Another decent attack on the bridge could easily put is out of action for enough time for Ukraine to take Crimea back. Ukraine has already won on the battlefield, their morale is high and Russia has lost and their morale rock bottom. The West needs to keep the supply of equipment and weapons going though or things could easily change. Logistics and supply will allow Ukraine to win. They have already shown that they can totally stuff up the Russian supply lines & this will continue while all Russia can do is fire missiles at Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.

It does seem like a defensive action gone wrong. It will certainly be in Zelenskys favour if it is proven correct that he publicly apologises while reiterating nothing would have happened if Russia wasn't sending missiles into his patch. Ukraine has to defend itself and in all conflicts there is always collateral damage to some degree. NATO has already blamed Russia in any case as it would never have happened if Russia hadn't attacked Ukraine in the first place.

The US right wing press is not impressed. Even Murdochs New York Press had a bottom line on the front page stating "Florida man makes announcement" referring to the article on page 26. Murdoch knows nothing infuriates Trump more than not having his name mentioned. Just glance at some headlines in the conservative press.: “Trump Shocks the World by Nearly Putting Us to Sleep,” said the RedState blog. “Old Mar-a-Lago Man Yells at Cloud,” said the American Conservative. “Donnie, Time to Go Away,” said Blue State Conservative. “Trump 3.0 is a Changed Man. He's a Loser,” said the Washington Examiner. “No,” simply read the National Review headline. In the meantime Lavrov left the G20 after one day & Putin remains silent since before the Kherson withdrawl. I guess he is busy 100% of the time watching his back as his physical and mental state continues to deteriorate. Deja vu Adolph.

Any rail link that reduces the number of trucks on our roads is a good thing IMO. Less traffic and less greenhouse gas pollution.

After the disastrous results for Trumps picks in the mid terms & the comments now coming quicker more frequently from the Republicans, Trump may finally be confined to the dustbin of history where he will find good company with Putin.

The Bailey Bridge was named after its inventor, Donald Bailey a civil servant with the British War Office. Like a lot of good ideas it was rejected when he put forward his proposal in 1936 but in 1940 he drew a proposal on the back of an envelope and that led to a full scale prototype being built by May 1941 & the rest is history.

Ukraine will not want to leave Kherson in range of Russian artillery. It seems the Russians are not digging in on the other side of the Dneiper. It is all flat with sand basins and virtually no cover so they'd be totally exposed. Once Ukraine gets a foothold on the other side it will not be hard for them to cut the main supply line to Crimea and then knock out the other lane of the Kerch bridge. Then it becomes very interesting and will Putin still be around to see it?

I remember Bailey bridges in NZ over the many rivers in Canterbury in the 1950s. I imagine they were war surplus. The rivers meander across the Canterbury Plains often with many channels being fed from snow fields in the Southern Alps and change course rapidly when there is flooding. I guess the Bailey bridge got cut off communities back up & running quite quickly. Some may still even exist, I don't know.

From what Stormy Daniels said it would have been a very small stroke.

That is one very intense 25 second barrage. it is no wonder the Russians are buggering off in a hurry

Lavrov certainly has a thick skull & brain to match. Putin would also not want to display any symptoms of his failing health in public let alone face the scorn from most of the worlds leaders.

That is how completely fu**ed US politics is. Their judicial system moves at less than glacial speed, every decision can be appealed seemingly forever, the Supreme Court judges are politically appointed, States create their own laws to prevent certain sections of the public from voting and about 80-100 million are convinced Trump was robbed of the election win and had nothing to do with the insurrection. If Trump gets back in in 2024 the US is headed for autocracy and most likely Civil War No 2. Putin & Xi will be celebrating & the rest of us will be fu**ed.

Many of us who were born and raised in or before the 50s were indoctrinated into our parents religion at an early age. For me it was from being christened into the Anglican Church and then attending Sunday school for several years until I was confirmed and could take communion. Once I entered my teens I slowly drifted away and began questioning everything and eventually coming to conclusions that all these different religions around the world with different stories and gods were invented by people to provide reasons for their existence. I found the principles of many religions were inherently good but the methods used to ensure the believers maintained their faith were forms of extorsion, coercion and brainwashing to various levels culminating sometimes in severe violence and death. I read Peter Fitzsimons book "A Simpler Time" of his early life growing up with similar religious overtones and the final recognition and his statement that he'd become a "Barking mad athiest" something I identify with as well. Now in the last Census under the question of religion, No religion at 39% is only just behind Christianity at 44% with Hinduism & Islam way behind at 3% each. No religion is the fastest growing group which was at 22% in 2011, 30% in 2016 & now 39%. It seems to me most of the fanatics and nutters around seem to have some sort of religious base.

Those who have a belief system or a faith just cannot accept that there are things they will never understand so need the system to justify their existence. I still cannot understand how some seem to have a belief system with some religious context of a greater being or deity and then accept the science of the origins of the universe and evolution. The 2 are diametrically opposed IMO.