onetrack

That sounds like something GON wrote up! Or an American Sovereign Citizen. I don't know where war veterans go homeless and hungry, either in the U.S. or here. America does treat its veterans reasonably well, Australia treats its war veterans even better than the U.S., from what I've found out. The veterans who are hungry and homeless usually have major mental health problems, but refuse to accept help ("the Govt is not going to control my life!"). I don't know where people with terminal illness are deemed fit for work, that sounds like a furphy to me. In my experience, the vast percentage of youngsters today are polite, helpful, and well-behaved. There's only a small percentage that are not, and they've always been with us. I do agree, Political Correctness is a problem in todays world, it's a good job we've got a few people who are straight shooters and who are not so diplomatic. The retirement age had to go up, because people are living much longer, and are healthier in their old age. The former retirement age produced an unsustainable system, and we have a low birth rate, which means there is going to be less employed workers in the future to provide the wealth to cover pensions. The greatest single problem with our Western countries at present is the unjust enrichment of the already wealthy and of the corporate set. The tax system needs to change so the rich pay more tax, not less and less constantly, as has been the case. In America in 1955, when the U.S. was at its economic peak, the top income tax rate was 91% - and U.S. companies didn't employ double degree accountant/lawyers to find tax havens, and tax loopholes, and devise "innovative corporate structures".

How did you come to that figure? The only place you get a gold watch and a Fijian holiday after a lifetime of work, is when you work for a large global corporation for 40 years.

It's typical of their flawed logic, that they think that they can utilise the laws of an "illegal and tyrannical Govt", to bring down that Govt. Their biggest single problem is they are all firearms worshippers, no getting away from that, they believe in the Power of the Gun, nothing else. Well, maybe God, too, but he comes a distant second to firearms.

Grays Auctions, the huge online auction house, that sells anything and everything from table decorations through to cars and massive earthmovers, has been placed into administration, after being fined a record $10M - after the ACCC found Grays had sold at least 750 cars to auction buyers with false and misleading descriptions. In addition, Grays are obliged to offer redress to the affected car buyers. Grays Auctions was founded in 1922 as a family business by the Gray family, and ran onsite auctions, up until around 2000, when it commenced an online auction website. Grays entered the big time when Geoff K. Gray sold 25% of the company to a fund management company, Caledonia (Private) Investments, in 2011. In 2014, Caledonia purchased the remaining 75% of Grays Auctions, and backdoor listed the company on the ASX. However, in 2017, a Fleet Management company named Eclipx purchased the whole of Grays Auctions from Caledonia, and Grays was delisted. Then, in a quick turnaround, in 2019, Eclipx sold Grays again, to another private venture capitalist, Quadrant Private Equity. Eclipx took a major haircut in the deal, buying Grays for $179M, and then selling it to Quadrant for $60M. Eclipx claimed Grays was an "underperforming asset", but a large part of the problem would have been people with no auction skills, trying to run an auction house. Quadrant tried to relist Grays on the ASX again in 2021, but pulled the float deal before it was all finalised. I'll wager there was an inadequate level of monies forthcoming to support the float, as rumours persisted of Grays under-performance. Then the ACCC dropped a bomb on Grays, with the $10M fine, and the orders to redress the buyers losses. Quadrant took a massive haircut on Grays this week, selling Grays to Slatterys Auctions for just $2M. So much for good corporate management. Part of the sale deal was that Slatterys Auctions would pay Grays $10M fine. I don't know if that is actually going to happen. Slatterys is only a modest-sized family auction business - but apparently a fairly successful one. Slatterys have undergone a lot of expansion in recent years, expanding into divisions in nearly every State, from their home town of Newcastle, NSW. Slatterys have promptly placed Grays into administration straight after the sale, as the company is effectively insolvent. That means a lot of Grays creditors are now going to take a massive haircut. Those creditors must range across a wide spectrum, from suppliers to contractors to financiers. It appears Quadrant still have an outstanding debt to financiers from the Grays purchase deal, which debt apparently runs to $145M. Westpac is their major financier. All in all, this whole sorry saga can only be sheeted home to mismanagement by the corporate whizz-kids. Grays charge sellers anything up to 30% commission to sell items through them, and charge buyers up to 25% buyers premium - meaning Grays make a motza, coming and going. I can't really see how they could lose so much money over such a long period of time, especially with the level of trading that Grays do. They sell thousands of cars a month and also sell virtually shiploads of Chinese-sourced products, from household items to a range of industrial products. Grays also operate auctions for a Qld-based company called Excavation Equipment, who import shiploads of Chinese industrial equipment. I don't know how Grays insolvency is going to affect Excavation Equipment, only time will tell, of course. https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/grays-to-redress-consumers-and-pay-10-million-in-penalties-for-misleading-descriptions-of-cars-for-sale-by-auction https://www.itnews.com.au/news/axe-swings-after-179m-grays-online-buy-blows-up-525037 https://www.drive.com.au/news/grays-online-enters-administration-days-after-sale-to-slattery-auctions/

Do you get Hexham Greys in your neck of the woods? I've heard they're responsible for carrying people off!

Not much fear of Julian Knight being incorrectly identified as the Hoddle St murderer, the evidence was overwhelming, He was caught with the firearms in his hands, and pleaded guilty. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/inside-the-mind-of-hoddle-street-killer-julian-knight-20170803-gxodxc.html

Bats definitely harbour a large number of diseases that pose a major threat to homo sapiens. The reasons why, are quite interesting. https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/understanding-bats-and-disease

Pete, they don't care about "State issued" drivers licences, they insist they're not legal anyway, claiming the Govt has no power to issues licences. They also try to drive around without vehicle registration - which rarely works out well for them. Marty, the relevant (and current) W.A. Firearms legislation mentions "fit and proper person" no less than 71 times in the Act. There are many reasons why a person can be rejected from holding a firearms licence, and determined to not be a "fit and proper person". Criminal history, a tendency to violence, health issues (both mental and physical), criminal gang associations, posing a threat to public safety (as determined by speech, writings and behaviour, obviously), are just some of the things taken into account. The only part that concerns me, of the defining of whether a person is "fit and proper", AFAICS, is that total power to make that far-reaching decision, is vested in just one man - the W.A. Commissioner of Police. I don't believe this is the fair and correct way to identify people as to whether they are "fit and proper" or not, I believe this decision should be decided by a panel, to reduce the chances of corruption or other influences affecting the decision being made by just one person. Numerous Police Commissioners have been found to be less than a "fit and proper" person for their job. https://www.legislation.wa.gov.au/legislation/prod/filestore.nsf/FileURL/mrdoc_47461.pdf/$FILE/Firearms Act 2024 - [00-00-00].pdf?OpenElement

The W.A. Govt and W.A. Police Force are finally cracking down on these moronic "Sovereign Citizens", who take all their cues from idiotic, moronic Americans, who pursue this dangerous ideological rubbish. The initiative was taken up by the W.A. Police Commissioner, Col Blanch, who organised raids on people identifying as Sovereign Citizens, after the Dezi Freeman murders. Blanch was obviously concerned some of these fruitcakes could follow on from Freemans attack, and put his men in danger. The aim was to find unregistered firearms and illegal ammunition, and improperly stored firearms. The W.A. Police carried out 70 searches at different addresses across suburban Perth and regional towns, and cancelled or suspended 44 firearm licences. Officers also inspected 26 firearm storage units. Police seized 135 firearms in the raids. Naturally, there was a loud response from the Sovereign Citizens local movement, and in something resembling a Monty Python farce, a bunch of so-called "Sovereign Citizen Sheriffs" attempted to arrest Col Blanch, claiming they didn't support him, didn't approve of his appointment, and claiming he had overstepped his authority. Naturally, they got short shrift from the W.A. Police, and the mob were threatened with arrest themselves, if they continued with their farcical move. I think Blanch and Premier Roger Cook are on the right track to flush out the more dangerous members of this group, as some of are quite likely to be as dangerous as Freeman. However, there is a real danger that the WAPOL move could harden the attitude of some of the more diehard members of this group and drive them underground and encourage to join criminal networks to acquire illegal firearms. As always, it's a fine line they have to tread to ensure that the more dangerous individuals of these groups get a spotlight shone on them, as they hold the potential to inflame other members who would perhaps hold moderate views on "Govt tyranny". https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/wa-police-targeted-self-described-sovereign-citizens-but-how-many-are-out-there-20251006-p5n0fc.html

Sure and begorrah, the Sgt's name must have been Paddy?

Pete, there's a Chinese mob coming out with a mozzie zapper design, based on lasers and tracking mozzies - but still in the design stage, though. They're still looking for more money, and the sad part is, they're talking about US$600 for the finished item. I'm still relying on lots of hard-working spiders and their industrious web-spinning. I used to knock down their annoying webs, now I'm getting soft and leaving then and walking around them - realising just how many bugs they do catch! https://newatlas.com/around-the-home/photon-matrix-laser-mosquitoes/

He'll never be released, the Govt has passed special laws specifically applying to him, to stop from ever getting any kind of release, and to stop him from using the courts constantly for his personal grievances. He makes a good case for the death penalty, makes you wonder what benefit there is, in keeping him alive.

Just more AI/Farcebook rubbish.

You might get something in the next week or two, OME - there's a series of tropical NW/SE cloudbands forming across Australia, with Kalgoorlie copping it yesterday from one of them. Kalgoorlie recorded its heaviest-ever October rainfall - 60mm. However, official weather records only started in Kalgoorlie in 1939, which surprises me, as official weather records usually start in the mid to late 1800's. https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/vast-northwest-cloudband-brings-record-rain-to-was-largest-inland-city/1890923

Spacey, you need to quote what you're replying to, we're not mind readers! Just click on the two apostrophes in the menu across the top of the message box, and paste the sentence or paragraph you're replying to, when starting your new post.

Gee, you'd have to have a warped sense of humour to do that, to innocent people!!

I don't know about "dearer" - that looks like "long and painful", with more neck pain than ever! There's nothing like tribal stupidities!

It looks like the kind of place that sovereign citizens would hide out in. 👮‍♂️

Roll. Sausage roll. Drum roll. Spring roll.

A - Haddock.

We had a nice burst of Spring weather last week, it was 29° on Friday in the wheatbelt - but it wasn't a pleasant day, a gusty Nor-Wester was blowing, ahead of a series of incoming cold fronts. I couldn't keep my Akubra on my head! - it kept blowing off with wind gusts, and I hate that! Saturday morning turned into Winter again, and it rained and showered all weekend. We got around 20mm, and the rain went through the wheatbelt of W.A. in varying amounts as well. Just enough rain to mess up hay cutting! Hay cutting season is always the same, the hay always gets rained on as soon as it's cut! But the upside is, the grain crops are looking better than I've seen in several years. We're on our way in this State to crack a total crop tonnage of more than 25M tonnes, that has only ever happened twice before here, in 2021 and 2022, surprisingly (in the midst of COVID). However, the world grain harvest is bountiful, so the grain prices are sagging. The road trains and rail trains have been going flat-chat, trying to empty wheat bins, ahead of the bumper crop.

Think outside the box.

There is no one (1) to (2) blame.

Inside job.

These REBUS' are way too easy, you're doing Marty out of a job!