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That Nobel Peace Prize is looking less likely by the day.

Netanyahu has had Trump's support for months and was pretty determined to continue his attacks on Gaza until Trump finally decided Bibi had overstepped the mark, made him apologise to Qatar and with the help of the Arab nations, got him to negotiate with Hamas again. Trump certainly gets credit for that but he could have done it months ago and saved a lot of lives. Obviously getting the hostages back, stopping the bombing and getting aid in again is a big deal, but as long as Hamas exists I don't think Bibi sees it as job done. It's also in his domestic interests to keep the war going, but he's now been forced to pull back and claim victory. Once the Israeli's pull out, if they ever do, there will be infighting between Hamas, who have already said they won't disarm, and other tribal and political groups for control of the area. The hostage release is a good start, but we're still a long way from a stable region, beachside holiday resorts and the Trump Desert Sands Memorial Golf Course.

Where?

Netanyahu’s biggest mistake was bombing Qatar and not telling Trump what he was going to do. Trump Inc and Kushner have lots of business interests there and they gave him a 747 as a present as well. That made the attack personal for Trump and is probably the main reason the bombing has stopped, at least for now. The Gazans can in large part thank Trump’s thin skin and nose for grift for the current progress in that region. Still, it’s the results that count more than the motives in this case.

GON, you run the risk of being involved in a car accident every time you drive, either by causing it yourself or as the result of someone or something else causing it. Accidents happen whether you are a good driver or not. The insurance exists for good reason as has been pointed out. It’s not a scam designed to disadvantage you and you’re not owed anything. If you don’t like the system then sell the car. It’s pretty simple.

If you hand your licence in now you’ll save heaps.

Agreed he deserves some credit but he could have done this six months ago.

The winner of the Nobel Peace prize is due to be announced tomorrow. Trump will be glued to the TV.

I wonder how many of them are on social service and rely on Medicare and the public health, education and transport systems.

Not much improvement. I've read somewhere that he uses makeup to hide a skin condition. Come to think of it, a guy applying makeup to his face is a bit woke isn't it.

The best thing likely to come from Trump and Hegseth's pep talk to 800 senior military personnel assembled in one room will have been to confirm that they have a pair of morons as Commander in Chief and head of the Pentagon. It should have been quite educational.

That's why I said he hasn't started any `so far', although you could argue he's busy fomenting civil war in the US. He's also not averse to bombing other countries when it suits him, and his efforts to stop the wars in Ukraine and Palestine have been pretty weak and inconsistent. His claims to have stopped 7 (or maybe 10?) wars also don't stand up very well to scrutiny.

They would be intended for the typical American FB user.

Abe Lincoln was president during the American Civil War which killed at least 700,000 soldiers on US soil and he is generally revered. All American presidents have blood on their hands to some degree but I'm not disagreeing with your statement in terms of US casualties and responsibility for the Vietnam war. You can also include the Bush's efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. However Trump is in a different league in almost every other way (so far).

I read that he wants to give them a lecture on the `warrior ethos'. That should go down well.

Well said.

The problem is they have to take the buffoon seriously.

Apart from my first phone, a Nokia 3310 which was great, I’ve always had iPhones starting in about 2015 when I wanted to run OzRunways. I like the iPhones but refuse to pay more than $750 or sign up for one on a plan, so currently have an iPhone 11 which I bought about two years ago and is fine for what I want and will last me until it finally dies and I need to buy another one.

Angus is a bigger dill than she is.

Cheer up. It could be worse. Hawthorn could have won.

As if pretending he had bone spurs to avoid the draft makes Trump smart and a winner and qualified to pass judgement.

He did, but there was more to the story.

And he was subsequently exempted from National Service on the basis of his beliefs, as were most of the other conscientious objectors at the time.

Ross’s grounds for noncompliance, as described in the interview, were his strong opposition to conscription and a belief in the rights of individuals to exercise choice. At his court hearing, Ross also voiced a moral objection to killing and to Australia’s involvement in Vietnam, which he believed was an unjust war. The Vietnam War was the first conflict to be extensively reported live on television and the impact of its coverage contributed to the strong civic action against the war. Ross was sentenced to two years jail under the Commonwealth Crimes Act, but released after mounting public pressure and press coverage prompted an ACT Supreme Court enquiry into his case. Justice Smithers found Ross to be exempt from military service under section 29A (1) of the National Service Act and he was released after the Governor-General granted him mercy, possibly alleviating some of the political pressure on the Government to soften its stance. Under section 29A (1) of the National Service Act, a ‘conscientious objector’ is a person who sincerely believes that it is wrong to engage in any form of military service. Between 1965 and 1971, just over 1000 men applied for this status. Of the 1052 applicants, 733 were granted total exemption from any military service, 142 were exempted from combat duties and 137 had their applications rejected.

After being handed down for 3000 years the message probably got a bit muddled. It probably started as 'Only a fool thinks that sticks burned today will still be there tomorrow'.