old man emu

James Valentine passed away on 22 April 2026). He was an Australian musician, and radio and television presenter. As a saxophonist he was a member of Jo Jo Zep (1982), Models (1984–87), and Absent Friends (1989–90). Valentine was treated for an oesophageal cancer in March 2024 and was alerted to a tumour in his omentum in June 2025. He died in on 22 April 2026 using voluntary assisted dying.

Jerry, I've been watching some videos in YouTube. Really rivetting stuff - unclogging blocked sewage drains. What amazes me is that the drains come into manholes which just have half-pipe chanels in them. Don't you get a lot of smell from them? Also, in towns it seems that the sewage drains run across properties, picking up from each house as they flow towards the mains. Also the houses seem to have water pipes running all over teh place from the hot water boilers. I understand that the hot water feeds through radiators in rooms, but with all that water to be heated, and then for it to lose its heat, what are heating costs like? Finally, and a bit yucky, those drains always seem to be clogged with what the plumbers call "wipes". The look like handkerchief-sized cloth. Don't they have bum fodder that breaks up in the water as it goes down the pipes?

What makes understanding AI difficult for me is the the very may ways that it is being used. Those many ways make it nearly impossible to say, "This is what AI is". I don't think that I could make a complete list of what one can do with AI. It seems that it is not possible to say what it can't do - apart from tasks invovling human imagination. I suppose one could compare it to a word processing program like Word. Have you ever used all the features that come in that program?

Ther is one big problem with recycling hat is never mentioned: the cost of transporting material for recycling. Today I was talking to the boss of our local recycling station. He told me that he sells his cardboard for recycling for $1000/tonne. However, it costs him $2000/tonne to transport it to the next step in teh recycling (probably packing for transport overseas. I didn't ask). So, he says he will continue to accept cardboard, but he will have to stockpile it until transport costs drop. No doubt the same factors impinge on the glass and plastic recycling. The last time you got your car serviced, or replaced tyres, did you notice the environmental levy added to yoiur bill? I'd really like to know where those tyres are being recycled in Australia. There are rumours of rural properties being leased and used to store tyres for recycling. Often they never seem to leave the properties. What is saddening is that most of us try to do the right thing and make an effort to recycle at least some of the recyclables that we accumulate by living our modern lifestyles. The recycling system seems to fail to meet our high ideals once our additions to the pile are carted away from our doorsteps.

As yet they don't have a a candidate they can throw their weight behind. This video identifies two possible candidates and gives reasons for the favouring of one of them.

Pity the next non-Republican Administration. They will cop the bill for restoring the East Wing.

Why bother developing anthropomorphic weapons when we have seen how effective simpler machines like drones have been in carrying the battle? Am I being over-cynical in thinking that by releasing a story such as the one above, the releasers are creating a diversion from what is really being developed?

I once found what appeared to me to be a stone axe in an area where the type of stone did not exist. However theat type of stone did exist within a few kms of where I found the axe. I wonder if I had reported my find I would have put a stop to the real estate development that occures a few years later.

Are the votes cast in a particular polling place counted at that polling place and called in to a central tally room at teh closing of teh polling place? And then, are teh boxes containing those votes transported to the central tally room? If the boxes of actual ballot sheets are taken to the central tally room, who overlooked taking the boxes containing absentee ballot sheets to the central tally room as well? Looks to me like a simple case of human error. Sh!t happens. Fortunately the eror does not appear to have adversely affected the result in that electorate ( unless you didn't want One Nation to win).

Be careful what you wish for. If Trump carcks it, or they invoke the 25th Amendment, Vance will be Acting President until January 2029. It will be a case of the puppetiers stringing up a new puppet.

We coulld stop selling canola overseas and turn it into bio-diesel.

One of the reasons for granting bail was that it is going to takwe a very long time to bring these charges before a court. There is no likelihood that he will commit further offences whilst free on bail, so community safety is not endangered. The only condition that I see as not being useful is the reporting three times per week to police. That is supposed to restrict his movement from the local area of his residence. As one who was able to set bail conditions, I always felt that this was an onerous condition. Once a week is sufficient if the condition is required.

That's valve-ist!!!!!

I don't think the fact of being American by birth had much to do with Pope Leo's election, although we will never know of the points made in his favour during enclave. I suppose that if Trump hadn't created the situation withevery other country, Pope Leo would have not had the need to be saying what he has been saying. What I love is that Pope Leo never names names. He leaves it up to us to infer of whom he is speaking.

Is it un-Catholic to pray that someone would drop dead?

This seems to be an unbiased report. https://antonygreen.com.au/sa2026-it-turns-out-the-count-aint-over/

The indigenous people of Victoria seem to be the most aggressive people in relation to demanding rrights based on cultural claims. Is that their interpretaion of "reconcilliation"?

I always enjoy a good pun. Puns are the heart and soul of English comedy.

Apparently the vote has been officially declared and the result will not change. The total number of ballots (about 70????) is said to be insufficiant to change to result. The recount is more or less a debrief session for the Electoral Commission to see what went wrong.

I wonder if inflation actually is an insurmountable problem for the average citizen - the peasant, or if you like, the people like us. It's for sure that things that are imported, the 21st Century consumer goods, would become too expensive, but food can still be produced and bartered for. Things would be really tough, but life would go on as it has done through the many periods of adversity these people have gone through throughout the millenia.

I haven't started my mower for two years.

I thought those small vilalges with high murder rates were only in Midsummer.

I can't see AI doing this sort of job.

Not at my place. Therfe was more moisture on a dead dingo's donger than came from the sky.

I'm so not looking forward to this.