onetrack

....run by a consistent string of socialist Govts, who support unions and fair wages! Horror! I've even heard those Labor Govts called "Commy Govts" by Americans!

When the Americans built the US Naval Communication Station, North West Cape, at Exmouth, W.A. between 1963 and 1967, everything to build the base, was shipped in from the U.S. When I say everything, I mean everything. The Americans shipped in their own prefab housing, their own power generation, and they even built their own baseball fields and a bowling alley, so the troops would feel right at home, and not in a hostile and foreign environment, like Australia. 😄 Even every fitting in the buildings, right down to hinges and fasteners, was imported from the U.S. In addition, even though LHD cars were banned on Australian roads, the Americans were allowed to import as many LHD vehicles as they wanted, so they wouldn't feel like they were in a foreign land, where the natives drove on the wrong side of the road. Unfortunately, the Americans couldn't change the local road rules, or the side of the road they drove on, so they had to put up with driving their LHD vehicles on the wrong side of the road, at all times. Fortunately, Australia insisted the town had to be on 240V AC power, which must have caused a lot of angst amongst the Americans used to 110V AC power. When the land for the base was leased to the Americans by a Liberal right-wing Govt ("all the way with LBJ!"), it was for peppercorn rental. Only when a Labor Govt was elected in Australia in 1972, was the base operation and rental costs put under scrutiny. Slowly but surely, Australian Naval personnel were allowed to operate in conjunction with the Americans at Exmouth. But all the Australian Navy personnel, including their leaders, were banned from access to the U.S. Naval Communications Cipher Room for many years. Ever so slowly, the Americans gradually relented and handed more and more operational power over to the Australian military, for the base operations. It was eventually turned into an Australian Naval Communication station by 1999, with an Australian Naval Commander initially taking control of the base in 1991. The Americans finally withdrew in 1993, and they sold off the base housing - fairly cheaply, it seemed to many keen buyers. Then those house buyers found that the American houses built there, couldn't be repaired using standard Australian building materials. Doorways were a U.S. standard, 3' 0" wide, to accommodate big Americans (as compared to the Australian standard of 2' 8" or 815mm). Fittings and plumbing all had to be changed if repairs were needed. Those houses ended up not being such a bargain after all. Numbers of the LHD cars from the base stayed here after the local authorities relented, and allowed LHD vehicles to be imported and driven on Australian roads. I would guess the Americans got good money for their used Yank Tanks, due to high local demand. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Communication_Station_Harold_E._Holt

Hi Rod, thanks for your input, and much additional information. No, I haven't read your book, but I do sympathise with you, as I stated. I too, have had similar dealings with powerful people who destroyed my life and all my hard-won assets - they're called a Bank, and they are run by despicable people who are prepared to crush customers in favour of intransigent and ruthless bank decision-making. So I do understand how you feel about people with virtually unaccountable power, and little recourse against blatant injustice, unless you want to spend decades in the courts, and spending millions you haven't got. Yes, you have had dealings with me many years ago, via a historical truck forum. I sold you some large diameter studs to suit your Chamberlain tractor. I trust you're keeing well in your advanced years. I find it better as I age, not to dwell on past injustices that one can do little about. Hold your head up high, that you know in your own mind, that you have no regrets about what you did.

This group of British newshounds have a brilliant takedown of Trumps peace agreement with Iran. In essence, he's spent multiple billions to achieve SFA. As the bloke says, in the peace agreement, there is absolutely NOTHING, as regards the following "requirements", originally set by Trump. 1. Regime Change 2. Human Rights and the protection of Iran's regime protesters 3. Free transit of the Straits of Hormuz to all shipping 4. The Iranian Ballistic Missile program being stopped 5. Nuclear weapon manufacturing being stopped However, Trump has now effectively PAID to restore the status quo, as regards America's greatest enemy, with the lifting of sanctions, and the return of Irans frozen assets, which amount to well over US$100B. Iran can now trade its oil freely on world markets, bringing in vast amounts of money, that will enable the regime to repair all the American damage, and build more armaments. Trump savages Obama for his "bad deal" with Iran over nuclear weapon manufacturing. This exercise of Trumps makes Obama's deal look like a winner, in comparison to Trumps latest balls-up. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1477523247022527

The love affair between Geogia Meloni and Trump appears to have fallen on rocky times - thanks to the scales apparently falling off Georgia's eyes. Once, once of Trumps greatest arse-lickers, she stopped at supporting him when it came to the Iran War. She stopped the U.S. from using Italian air bases to carry out attacks on Iran. Trump, speaking in a phone interview with Italian broadcaster La7, claimed that Meloni had “begged” to take a photograph with him. “She begged me to take a photo with her. She wanted a photo with me so badly. I might not even have done it, but I felt sorry for her,” Trump said. Referring to their interaction at the G7 summit, he added that Meloni was “probably happy that I spoke to her” and that he “was not obliged to speak to her.” Prior to the post-summit interviews, Trump's behavior at the G7 drew notable attention. Footage circulated online of Trump complaining about having "the lowest chair in the room," with cameras capturing Meloni's visible exasperation and eye-rolling reaction. It's good to see that Meloni has finally woken up to Trumps buffoonery and lies and outright fabricated BS at the highest levels. The Italian politicians are especially scathing of Trumps perfomance at the G7. Meloni has come back fighting, saying, "Neither I nor Italy ever beg!" She posted a video answering Trump’s statement, saying that "certain things deserve an immediate response". "Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned," she said. "I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn’t the first time this has happened." She went on, "I can only say that it's a pity he doesn't show the same determination with enemies of the West, with enemies of the United States, with leaders with whom, instead, he is far more accommodating". Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Italys top diplomat, called Trumps words "grave and offensive", and cancelled a scheduled trip to the United States, thus creating a political freeze. How you could place "diplomacy" and Trump in the one sentence has me beat, though. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio suggested Trump’s remarks besmirched the legacy of the US soldiers who died during World War II. “The thousands of crosses marking the graves of American soldiers who died to free us from Nazi-Fascist dictatorship did not deserve such a painful blow to our fraternal ties,” Nordio posted on X. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said he did not believe Meloni would ever beg for a photo, "not even under threat". "Jokes of this kind do no good to anyone: neither to the USA, nor to Italy, nor to the alliance", he said. Trump has come back, complaining that Meloni "lacks courage", has failed to support NATO, and he's threatening to remove U.S. forces from Italian soil. It's amazing that this moron is now abusing Meloni for failing to support NATO, when Trump has done everything in his power to dismantle NATO.

Asia is eye-opening when it comes to vehicle misuse. As Army engineers working on road construction in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, we were constantly amazed at what the Vietnamese considered a normal load for any vehicle or motorcycle. The Lambro 3 wheelers ("Tuk-tuks", or "xe lam" as the Vietnamese called them) were universal transport, and they were used to regularly transport workers to and from the rice paddies. As we often had construction road works they would have to traverse, they would often have to unload passengers to get through the road works. One day, a Lambro full of rice paddy workers (all girls and women, I might add), unloaded its passengers so it could get past us at the road works. We counted THIRTY SEVEN women and girls getting out of that Lambro! Admittedly, the Vietnamese women and girls are only tiny, but even at that, thirty seven people in a Lambro would have to be some kind of record.

And for carrying Mother, when you couldn't afford a car.

"If you can dream it, you can do it". Universally attributed as a saying, to Walt Disney - but the experts claim it was an advertising executive working for GE, who wrote it on a GE recruiting brochure.

Wasn't BMW the original 2WD motorcyle/sidecar combination of WW2? Did Ural copy them?

The only thing needed for munitions storage is a large cleared area in a rural location, with substantial earth bunds around the perimeter to deflect any detonated munitions blast. Then they just set out sea containers at spaced intervals to store the munitions. If large missiles are needed to be stored, these may require a concrete and earth hardened bunker. Not much threat to us, but the earthmovers and concrete suppliers will be clinking champagne glasses when they get the construction job.

Good ol' Jimmy Buffet, one of my favorite singers! - "Cheeseburger in Paradise".

They would need to double or triple the size of the audit teams to be able to deal with the amount of "collectibles" of modest value, that regularly change hands. So much of it is done in cash transactions.

Nev, I havn't been in business for many years. This is just my retirement hobby. I get no tax deductions for anything!

I have a yard full of "collectibles". Most others view my "collectibles" as "junk". I just have to convince the ATO when I make a killing selling one of my "collectibles", that it's not taxable! 😄

While the Govt tries to exact small amounts of tax on collectable items hoarded by working class individuals, they let global corporations and billionaires get away with paying bugger-all tax on multi-million dollar profits, because it's "too hard" to stop their innovative and devious loophole-finding tax arrangements.