Jerry_Atrick

What? Oh, is Trump the imperial leader we all need to bow down to and can't criticise lest his sensitive feelings are offended like a snowflake... and he will have a tantrum and slap on more tarrifs.. There, there, Trumpy... mummy will tuck you into bed and get you a family bucket of KFC.. all will be better.. the boys in the playground really do like you... How is planet Zork? Because you obviously don't live on planet earth, that is for sure.. Most of is ex-administration, harrdly woke, all openly criticise him and have campaigned against him.. In Aus, Malcolm Turnbull, David Sharma, and Simon Birmingham, again hardly woke, openly criticise him still. even Nigel Farage - you know the bastion of wokeness has openly criticsed him. Have they all suddenly turned tree huggiung, tie-dye wearing lefties? Noticed the silence about Trump from most of the LNP, except for the nuttier ones...hardly a ringing endorsement of Trump or their leader for Trumpian politics. Yeah, it helped with the voice, but when people have to vote about matters that directly affect them, I am not sure Australians have the same mentality as their Ameican cousins. It's not like th bye-elections in Vic handed the LNP a resounding message of support, is it?

Don't those robots suffer range anxiety?

Yes.. And although the claim is it is already conscious, it isn't. In the Pindex video, the same person says it has no moral compass. Even Trump and Hitler and all demogogues have one; it is just skewed. What the algos and powerful computers allow it to do is to more quickly emulate the thought/reasoning processes of the brain - the bit without emotion. The AI/AGI they are talking about is that made for military purposes, where its objectives are set to destroy and self-preserve where it can. Bit. AI lacks something humans have - foresight. It can predict - yes, but use foresight for innovative solutions is still a fair way off despite what they say. And even then, it can only approximate; However, quantum computing may well change that.

Far Canal!

Yes, because it has 5 businesses in the US which would not be affected by tarrifs.. in fact it could be helped by them. But this is small fry compared to the rest of the market.. Some others in a similar position were up on the ASX further (note, Bluscope's gains fell to 1.6%) while most were unchanged or down: https://www.listcorp.com/asx/sectors/materials/materials/metals-mining/steel

So.. that was a policy launched over a year ago by a different (conservative) government. At the moment they are focusing on SMR technology on existing plants as part of this policy. I don't think there has been any movement in HALEU. That notice was flawed the day it was written,by a desperate government looking for a soundbite. there are two HALEU producers in the US and they are used in reactors for medical isotope generation. Instead, the new government is pursuing fusion: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plan-for-change-to-deliver-jobs-and-growth-in-uk-leading-fusion-industry Rather than pursuing dated technology. I think you will find that original announcement was a non starter from day 1. Also the UK has an existing nuclear power generation industry and can harness home grown talent and know how. So it won't be starting up a brand new industry.

So what?

Y'all seem to fergeet that the msm is right wing bias and will use propaganda techniques like many of them do today to shift the blame... it is in their advertisers interests... and we have seen how the social media barons have shifted their policies and dismantled their fact checking to support someone they couldn't last time as they have been boarding the gravy train express this time. Who knows what algorithm changes will have been made that they don't have to inform us of? By the time the average person wakes up, it will be too late.. game over.

I think you fellas can ask questions of Chap-GPT without me.

My daughter starts work tomorrow at Hinkley Point C (the new build nuclear plant). She is a chip off the old block (head) in many ways.. Including.. leaving things to the last mintute! So, today (Sunday) we went to a poor mans Chadstone, Cribbs Causeway, to buy her business casual clothes. It's about an hours drive from us and we had a great old time there and back. We talked about all sorts of stuff. She is a mature-ish (she does, after all, take after me, so will never quite mature), and had a great time. Although, when she was in teh changing rooms, she took a bloody-well long time and it was like I was hanging around the girls' changing rooms having a perve. I found out later, every item she took in, she tried on, photographed herself and texted her mother for an opinion; which of course had a lot of latency in the response. But, we finally got there, and enjoyed the drive back. I did, ahem, demonstrate how to drive on the motorway when one has spent more time than they liked shopping (I was doing about 130kph in a 110 zone).. and then, came from me and , "Oh Shit! Police!" (I never call police cops.. find it offensive). I was in the right lane of the three lane motorway - the UK drivers almost stil to keep left unless overtaking. But, the middle lane was clogged, and with the "blues and twos" as they call them here (as I recall "double bubbles", in Aus) coming fast up my rear-end, I gunned it to about 150kph and then found a space to nip into, followed by some reaonable braking.. They (there were two of them) passed me with plenty of space, and my daughter said to me she thought thought I may be being pulled over for speeding. "No way!" was my response; they are not going to pull one over for simply speeding up to a certain point (and I have worked out, about 13 mph is that sweet spot)... But if you are driving dangerously, even within the speed limit, they will have you, balls 'n all. Then she said she really enjoyed the speed up and then the braking.. so I will take her to Nigel Mansell's go kart track when I can (it is about 10 miles from where we live) to let her experience it. Of course, as an almost responsible dad, I did say not to speed and do this sort of stuff until you have at least 5 years experience under your belt We continued cruising, and she had her music on, and mentioned something about what sounded like Captain Feathersword of Wiggles fame. It wasn't,. but we played it anyway and had a great giggle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4OFJktwIog). The, I overtook a rather slow car and got back in the left lane (I was doing 70mph/110 at the time). That slow car overtook me and then sat next to me. I thought, WTF, but as I was heading to the services 1/2 a mile away for a comfort break, I wasn't too worried. Well, fast forward, and we stop at a convenience store near home, next to the same car, and I noticed a villager in the passenger seat and said, "Hi",. She said her and her hubby were the car we passed.. "er.. um.. well, sorry I didn't look across - I had to go to the loo"... Saw hubby in the store.. had a laugh about it... but I spent at least 10 minutes in the stop, and still caught them up.. and from the services, I only did 70 all the way. They were cruising quite slowly. All in all, a great day with the daughter and a bit of road fun thrown in.

I would argue that improvement in tyre technology is part of the safety system of a car. In the words of my favourite teacher, the late Jack Leahey, "there's only four bits of rubber the size of the palm of your hand between you and eternity when in a car".. Also, one could argue the technology in roads is being researched to improve safety, too, including things lite cats eyes and there was some other visual technology released not too long ago. All things combined, it's a system of driving and is far safer than it was. The numbers seem to refllect that.

13 years of conservatives, and they are progressives? I'm with @Litespeed - you need help.. and lots of it. The simple fact is, under the previous Labour admin in the UK, they took a basket case economy handed to them by the cumulative effects of Thatcher and Major, made structural changes to make it a solid economy (and yeah, they made mistakes) and handed a strong economy that survived the global financial crisis far better than most of its peers to the conservatives, who's non-progressive agenda wrecked it to almost beyond repair. Somehow, though, it was the "progressives" fault? In the great worlds of Pauline Hanson, please explain.. because all you do is fluff a lot of hot air, with no basis and can't refer to anything to even mildly support your assertions. The Aussie economy is in pretty good shape given its challenges under the stewardship of Labor, especially when you consider what was handed to them. The LNP are also hardly progressive, but somehow their economic record is never quite as good as Labor's. Again, they aren't perfect and make mistakes, but when the chips are down, I know who I would prefer to be in.

Yes... Strange how the UKgovernment couldn't find the money to bail out British Steel until a donor (Gupta) took it over for a penny.. and then the money was found.. Nice little earner for 1p for the fella.

Haven't read it yet as I have to go out, but here is what Chat GPT has to say on the same question: Title: Historical Parallels in the Rise of Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump Throughout history, leaders have emerged under similar sociopolitical circumstances, often capitalizing on economic distress, nationalistic sentiment, and public disillusionment. The rise of Adolf Hitler in 1930s Germany and Donald Trump in the United States during the 2010s share striking parallels. While their ideologies and historical contexts differ significantly, the manner in which they ascended to power bears noteworthy similarities. This treatise explores these parallels in terms of populism, media manipulation, scapegoating, erosion of democratic norms, and the mobilization of mass movements. 1. Exploitation of Economic and Social Grievances Both Hitler and Trump rose to prominence during periods of national crisis. Hitler exploited Germany’s post-World War I economic depression and the public's discontent with the Treaty of Versailles, positioning himself as the savior of the German people. Similarly, Trump capitalized on the economic anxieties of the American middle class, particularly in the wake of the Great Recession, and the perceived decline of American manufacturing jobs. Both leaders promised a return to national greatness, using slogans like "Make America Great Again" and "Deutschland über alles" to appeal to nationalist sentiment. 2. Populist Rhetoric and Anti-Establishment Messaging Hitler and Trump both employed populist rhetoric, casting themselves as outsiders who would dismantle a corrupt and ineffective political establishment. Hitler vilified the Weimar Republic, blaming its leaders for Germany’s struggles. Trump, in turn, attacked the Washington political elite, branding them as part of the "swamp" that needed to be drained. Both men cultivated an image of being the voice of the "common people," rallying mass support against perceived enemies within their own governments. 3. Media Manipulation and Use of Propaganda Both leaders demonstrated a keen understanding of the power of media. Hitler’s propaganda machine, spearheaded by Joseph Goebbels, mastered the use of radio, print, and mass rallies to spread Nazi ideology and control public opinion. Similarly, Trump utilized social media, particularly Twitter, to bypass traditional media channels and communicate directly with his base. Both men attacked the press, branding critical media outlets as purveyors of "Lügenpresse" ("lying press") in Hitler’s case and "fake news" in Trump’s. 4. Scapegoating and the Creation of Internal Enemies A hallmark of both leaders’ rise to power was their reliance on scapegoating. Hitler blamed Germany’s woes on Jews, communists, and other marginalized groups, fueling anti-Semitic and nationalist fervor. Trump similarly targeted immigrants, particularly those from Latin America and Muslim-majority countries, portraying them as criminals and threats to national security. Both leaders used fear and division to solidify their base and justify controversial policies. 5. Undermining Democratic Institutions As their influence grew, both Hitler and Trump sought to erode democratic norms and institutions. Hitler’s ascent to power culminated in the Reichstag Fire Decree and the Enabling Act, which effectively dismantled the Weimar Republic’s democracy and established a dictatorship. While Trump did not achieve a comparable level of authoritarian control, his repeated challenges to election results, refusal to commit to peaceful transitions of power, and attempts to delegitimize the judiciary and law enforcement mirrored early warning signs of democratic erosion. 6. Cult of Personality and Mass Mobilization Both leaders built devoted followings, transforming their political movements into quasi-religious phenomena. Hitler’s Nazi Party rallies were grand spectacles that reinforced his leadership through mass displays of loyalty. Trump’s rallies similarly became ritualistic events where supporters chanted slogans like "Lock her up!" and "Build the wall!" The use of spectacle, repetition, and emotional appeal cemented their followers’ allegiance, often at the expense of rational political discourse. 7. Attempts to Overturn Electoral Processes The most alarming parallel emerged in Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Hitler, after failing to seize power in the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, eventually used legal means to dismantle democracy. Trump’s refusal to accept electoral defeat, culminating in the January 6th Capitol riot, showcased an unprecedented effort to subvert democratic processes in the United States. While unsuccessful, it demonstrated the fragility of democratic institutions when faced with authoritarian ambitions. Conclusion While historical comparisons must be made with caution, the parallels between Hitler and Trump’s rise to power are significant. Both men leveraged economic distress, nationalism, and mass media to galvanize support, while undermining democratic norms through populist rhetoric and scapegoating. The key difference lies in the resilience of democratic institutions: Hitler successfully dismantled German democracy, while Trump’s efforts were resisted by the judiciary, media, and civil society. Nevertheless, the warning signs remain. Understanding these historical patterns is crucial in preventing future authoritarian threats, reinforcing democratic values, and ensuring that history does not repeat itself.

I hope you survived the FB holden experience, too.. My mum and dad each had one.. and I managed to survive both (given both their driving skills, absolute luck!). It would be interesting to see the deaths per number of crashes ratio - obviously, though, there are other factors to consider besides the cars safety system - quality of roads at the time, speed, etc. But as a raw figure, that may give a better indication of exactly how good the current day cars safety systems are compared to yesteryears...

Sadly.. yes.. you let the "anti-woke", governments, which in reality, driven by a right wing media really means anti-middle classes in and they rape and pillage the public finances. In 13 years of declining public services and investment, while increasing taxes and debt (pre COVID, the UK had the highest debt and taxes ever - under a conservative "small government" government), and yes, you do have a country that with all its collective experience is broke, because, like all humans, we seem to be really poor from learning from history. And, similar to the LNP, many of the sponsors, er donors, seemed to reap the rewards. Hundreds of billions, if not trillions found their way into the coffers of their sponsors for very little in return. The IT project failures , when involving the companies of donors, were spectacular failures, yet not one penny of what was spent was ever recovered. Like Australia, billions were spent on shell companies that delivered diddly squat. At least our COVID furlough system was much better thought out than Australia's system and the corporates here at least had some integrity and returned a lot of what they claimed on behalf of their employees when it turned out they still made good profits - they covered the furloughed employees bill. In fact, despite some small amount of fraud, that is one thing that the conservatives did a relatively good job of. When I came here, the country was absolutely fantastic, well run, and yeah it had its problems, but it was no where near the stereotype people cast it before I moved. With less money, no-one paid at point of service for a GP and it was rare you couldn't get a GP same day. When they privatised supply of parts of teh NHS, they had to rip out GP funding to pay for the profits - now you will be lucky to get a GP appointment anywhere in the country under 2 weeks; a month is more common, unless you want to pay £120 for it. When the government has decided it has had enough of spending on something like, I dunno, education or welfare, they delegate it to the local councils, but don't increase the funding to the councils to run it.. and the councils can't increases taxes to pay for it; then they blame the councils when it all falls apart.. Yet, the nation, despite offloaing all these costs is still broke. The Labour government has had to enact a mini-austerity budget to plug over £28bn of expenses that were hidden by the previous conservative government. But, like Albo, they had to be small targets and promise not to raise taxes lest the right wing dominated press would have come after them with pitchforks and scythe. But, because of their promise and necessity to keep it, to keep the right wing dominated press beying for blood, they have to raise ancillary taxes to keep the country afloat. And, my dog, are they being pilloried for it... Trying to save what basket case of an economy the Conservatives left and keep the country from defaulting and completely crashing the economy.. The convervates and other right wing partys always seem to receive an economy in relatively good shape and kill it, to be fixed by the more progressive parties, ,who get pilloried for it, and then hand back an economy in good shape to the right wing again. That's because the progressive parties, despite being politicians have a modicum of integrity and do not lie incessantly.. Maybe they should take a leaf from the right wing playbook.. at least there would be no more boom and bust cycles.. we'd always be bust. Oh.. and if you think it hasn't happened before, at least in the UK, look at the economy Major left Blair.. We could go Fraser --> Hawke as well.. Razor gang's mates weren't trimmed as well, as I recall.

The former Conservative government took a wrecking ball to the UK... and yes, it is broke

The number of deaths per year are significantly lower than the mid 60s to the mid 80s, and look at the rate per 100,000 cars now versus 1925 and beyond.. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_Australia_by_year

I guess that depends on one's definition of good

I gave @pmccarthy a winner because this is what I love about this forum - I just (rather assertively) disagreed with a post he wrote.. And I often do when it comes to climate change and renewables v. fossils and nuclear in Aus, yet, there is no grudge.. Just an honest response to a post of mine.. Sincerely, thanks @pmccarthy - a true gentleman.

OK.. back to pubs.. The pub in our village is community owned, and I am a shareholder. It doesn't mean much.. we kicked in a few £, and there is no disbursments of profits, etc. I intend to go to the AGM this year and table a few questions, because we are now in the red, and from the accounts just supplied, we have enough cash until about September, unless things turn around. I want to table questions - the accounts are very vague and do not provide the ability to quantify the factors/issues that the chairman's report speaks to. Also, I want to tally anecdotal issues, such as this eve, where the young bar stuff ushered us out before normal closing so they could go to the town's nightclub. Which pisses off punters and they head to other pubs. I am going to research the law tomorrow, but assuming I can ask pertinent questiond of the current committee (which is, for all intents and purposes, the board), what is the best way to question them. The main questions are: The Profit and Loss accounts contain two expenses: Cost of Goods and general admin; however, the committee chair's report speaks to energy costs, labour issues, etc. Can you pls break down the accounts so we can see what the individual costs are? There has been a reproted reduction of footfall- what does that mean? Are there less customers (or less frequenting by customers), or simply falling revenue? What is the average sales per customer (or set of customers in the case of dinners, etc).. How has this changed YoY? There have been numeroud anecdotal complaints of the number of staff (we have 2 managers for a small community pub) and the efficiency/efficacy of the staff, including assertions that the staff do not act in the best interest of the local communoty, especially towards closing time of the pub? Has the board considered different strategies to appeal to customers to increase footfall and average sales per customer? What are they? Would appreciate an honest appraisal of these.. I know I can speak less direct than I shoud.. so don't hold back. A pub's livelihood is on the balance.

Et.. the banks systems should have picked up the anomaly... Defo contact them, but be ready to contact APRA as well. I can't remember if the Aussie system has an ombudsman or similar.

One of my favourite foods is the humble meat pie.. Four n Twenty is my favourite, which most people will dry reach on just hearing the name. I remember way back in prep and grade 1 in primary school, where once a week, mum would write my and my brother's lunch order on a brown paper bag, and in would go the 26 cents (for mine). My brother's order was a salad roll; mine was a pie. And I was like a dog waiting for his tucker to be served.. Oh.. and when it came, it was heaven tucking iunto a hot pastry case with that yummy gravy and meat inside (OK, it may have been horse or rat.. but it was yummy). And then memories of going to footy games. In those days, it was Princess Park, which was also Hawthorn's playing ground, Arden Street, the MCG, Windy Hill, Moorabbin, and the like, where on blustery days, would grab a pie at half time with tomato sauce - was heaven. I still have one of the carry trays they used to sell them on.. liberated from Arden Street that was discarded by one of the sellers. Obviously, I have growed up a bit since then.. but when I return to Aus, I make a bee line to the nearest 7-11 to get a pie.. Well, except they don't sell Four 'n Twenties anymore, but I found last time I was in Aus, Coles Express still did. Nice and warm, though the separate tomoato sauce packs where you can't inject the sauce and burn your tounge with the super-heated sauce isn't quite the same. But, since I have growed up, my cullinary tastes have expanded. I can ear the fancy new modern food, and it is lovely. But today, I went to an Inidan restaurant in Bristol, and wowsers.. was absolutely divine. The fragrance of the spices and herbs, and chicked was definitely real, and even my partner could eat their chikpeas (she normally hates them). Their website is here: https://www.mowglistreetfood.com/ I have a couple of Indian fellas working for me, and they took me to this restaurant, which was to die for: https://www.dishoom.com. It was better than today's, and on their web site you can even get some recipes. Australia simply doesn't compete in this cuisine, and Gaylords of Melbourne is, to me, a bit like a slightly upmarket Indian hole in the wall. So, while I am not looking forward to the lack of Indian food in Aus, the Thai is amazing, and so are other cuisines. I really love fragrant food... However, nothing will beat the humble pie.. ever..

BS! Any references, because, lets face it, if that were the case, the Murcoch press would have been all over it, and it would be easy to find. But I couldn't find anything. I could find an interview by Sarah Fergusson to Chris Bowen and Tim O'Brien. Let me summarise.. He stated that the CSIRO admitted to a parliamentary committee that they haad less expertise in certain areas than the IAEE - that's it. Whoopee do.. what does that prove? . Chris Bowen pointed out that with Tim O'Brien raised concerns that the CSIRO underestimated the lifecycle of nuclear plants and their operating capacity; the CSIRO took it onboard, and ran the numbers and found there was no basis for that assertion and even if there was, there would be little change: https://minister.dcceew.gov.au/bowen/transcripts/interview-sarah-ferguson-abc-730-4 Nothing I could find suggested the CSIRO contracted out the work, let alone to a subcontractor with no specific experience. Think about.. Globally respected scientific organisation contracts out research in a subject it has no experience in........ to an organisation that has no experience in it... Quite a stark raving made assertion. But people will use anything to justify their postiion no matter how much the facts show otherwise. Virtually every respected organisation in the world that has looked at it says no.. but hey.. go by your recollection of a totally illogical scenario...